Betrayal
by moomolie1709
Summary: Haru knew what she did was unacceptable. She knew he would never forgive her. 1950's, some angst.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, so another Haru fic! I should really be doing homework, but I guess its a little too late...Anywhooo here it is. I'm not sure if I want this to be a oneshot, or if I want to make it a full fledged fic. Tell me what you think! Enjoy :)

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**-p-**

_"Get out"_

His voice was steady, unwavering. He stood strong, his face turned away from her.

He had obviously rehearsed what he was going to do, he wanted to appear indifferent, unaffected. But his narrowed eyes and intense stare told a different story.

In one fluid motion, he violently shrugged her arms off of his, breaking physical contact. He pushed her aside, carelessly letting her fall into the wall next to them. He made his way to the door, turning the handle and opening it. Instead of walking out, he pulled the door and stepped backwards. His hand still grasping the handle, he turned towards her.

His voice low and treacherous, "Get out,"

It was more painful hearing it a second time. The venom in his voice, and the way how he didn't bother to even look at her made it worse. His eyes locked on the wooden floorboards, he stood there waiting.

Holding her breath, scared that if she let out any air, she wouldn't be able to stop the tears that were already threatening to fall. Her fears only heightened as they continued to well up, she didn't dare to blink, knowing that more of them would run down if she did.

The silence was murderous. Neither of them said a word, as she slowly picked herself off of the wall, and quietly dragged her feet towards him, her eyes focused on the floor as well. As she found herself stopping a few feet away, she forced herself to look up.

She was scared of what she knew was there.

Those that had at one point, glowed with warmness and exuded his care for her, were now glaring at her with absolute contempt. He painfully was trying to keep his composure, but his body language was enough to tell her that he was seething with hatred. His knuckles had gone white from his death grip he had on the door handle, his arm shaking from the strength that was put in his arm.

She had half expected him to stop her as she passed him, walking out of the door. She wanted him to pull her back, tell her that it was all some nightmare. But he did nothing. All she heard was him mutter one final thought before slamming the door shut behind her.

"_You brought this upon yourself,"_

Her body had jumped at the abrupt noise that the door had created. She turned her head, looking at the closed door behind her. His words stung, no matter the degree of truth they held.

After all that had happened, it was over. She continued to stare, not being able to tear herself away, unable to leave him. If the tears had been blurring her vision before, they were blinding her now.

Frightened with the realization and the possibility that he would come out and see her crying, she ran.

She ran down the hallway.

Then down the stairs.

And out of the lobby.

Out of the house.

Past the disapproving eyes outside.

Across the street.

Away from him.

Away from anything that would trigger memories of him.

Of their life together.

She ran as far and fast as she could. She wasn't looking where she was going, hell, she didn't even care. It didn't know what she was going to bump into.

The only thing she knew was the she couldn't stay. There would be no way that she could gather the strength to do so. If she tried to, there was no doubt that she would break.

He didn't want her, he wouldn't forgive her. He found her out, secrets and all. She should have been thankful at the mercy he showed for her betrayal, but all she could manage was to despise him for not keeping her. Most would have had her head on a platter at this point, but he let her go. He wasn't gentle, he wasn't careful, he did nothing to spare her feelings, but at least he didn't stop her from leaving. At least he allowed her to leave. Asking for anything would have been ridiculous, but she couldn't help it.

Weren't they in love? Weren't they stronger than this? She knew how he felt about her, and he knew how she felt about him. Why couldn't he move past the emotional blockage? Why couldn't he just save her like he had always done? Wasn't he supposed to be the hero, her knight in shining armor?

She wished that he would forgive her, welcome her back in open arms. But even she knew that a request like that would have been impossible.

When all of this had begun, she knew what would happen. Yet she not only proceeded, but continued to do it.

The weight she carried in her chest fell heavier and heavier, breathing became harder and harder. Her pace got slower and slower, her running turned to walking, after collapsing in a dark alley into crawling, and after he arms gave out, into dragging.

He had given her the opportunity to escape. She understood that she needed to take advantage of this good fortune. Once the others found out, she'd be done for. The mafia world was not a sympathetic one. They both knew that the others would come for her, and both knew that none of them wanted to let her off the hook.

In a matter of hours, they would hear the news, and would be on the hunt. Even if he was boss, no matter the power he possessed, they would come after her. there would be nothing in his power to stop his subordinates from looking for retribution. They might have been her friends before, but it was inevitable. She had humiliated him, dented his pride, marred his reputation.

Her body started shaking, she lied on her back, staring up at the air, she couldn't force herself any further. She was scared. Her eyes are sore from crying, completely dried up. She made an effort to look at her surroundings, only to find that it was too dark for her to see anything else. It was far into the night. She lifted her left hand, barely able to make out the item sitting on her finger.

With what little strength she has left, she ripped the ring off. She looked at it one more time, carefully examining its beauty. She remembered how he had told her the ring matched her well. It was simple and practical, but still elegant. Nostalgia ran over her, making her bite her lip to stop the crying.

But it was useless, she was already sobbing.

"I'm sorry," she gasped for air as she tried to apologize, "I'm so sorry—" she stopped to look at the ring again, "I'm sorry," she repeated, hoping that if she said it again, he would somehow understand. She lets another anguished growl escape.

It had been a symbol of their relationship. He had told her, that as long as it remained on her hand, he would be there for her, he would protect her. But whatever promises he had made to her, were empty and meaningless now.

"I loved you," her voice broke, her heart too. No, it was a lie, her feelings had never changed. "I _love_ you,"

She closed her eyes, knowing what she had to do. She put the ring back into her hand, balling it into a small fist.

And mustering what willpower she still had, she swung her arm back, and threw the ring away.

"I'm sorry," she heard the clink of metal hitting cement. She doesn't dare to look where it landed, keeping her eyes closed, taking another deep breath before letting out every tear that she had been trying to hold back."I love you, Tsuna,"

And thus, Haru Miura disappeared from their world. She left town along with everything she had known, all of the relationships she had built over the years, and all the people she had grown to love, all of it, she left it all behind.

**End**

A/N: Aha! It was Tsuna! I didnt know if I was being sneaky, or just plain out obvious with it. I just got it in my head, it was a little rushed, I apologize. But I hope you liked it.**  
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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just to give you guys a heads up, this is a somewhat historical fiction, it takes place around the 1940's or 50's in Italy. I apologize in advance for being politically incorrect and some of it may not correspond correctly with actual historical events. It's really just the setting for the story…Enjoy!

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**Chapter 2**

She was staring, but she didn't care. She wouldn't have been able to stop herself even if she wanted to.

She had snuck in after them and hid in one of the booths as she watched. She eyed him and his friends drinking at the bar. Though she was constantly with them, the trio was undisputedly _sparkling_, truly breathtaking, even from the distance that she was sitting from.

One of the boys, tall and extremely amiable, had boyish short hair and brown eyes. A Japanese, like herself. The other had more mysterious features, with pale skin and grey eyes, and though possessing a smaller frame than the other boy, was by no means short. He was obviously the moodier one of the three, possessing a rather intimidating gaze and aura, even with benevolent intentions pr when he meant well. These two were certainly some of the most handsome of their peers, but it was the last boy, a mafia boss in the works, was all too captivating. His mere presence alone drove her to the edge.

He was insanely charismatic, always charming. And though Haru was well past the point of schoolgirl like crushes, being around him made her lose whatever composure she possessed.

She blamed those eyes of his, so golden, so intense. Most people found them cryptic, but not Haru. She would go as far as to say that they were a window into his soul. The average person, looking at him, would not be able to see past the cold veneer he put up. Haru however, could read him like an open book. Whether he be angry, ecstatic, or upset, she would know in an instant.

Anyone would be able to tell you right off the bat if asked about her feelings towards a certain mafia boss in the making. Haru was completely, and undeniably in love with Sawada Tsunayoshi, no matter what way you looked at it. Her sentiments were a well known fact within their inner circle of trusted companions.

The boys were obviously enjoying themselves, already asking for another round of refreshments. Haru pursed her lips as she examined them, she was pretty sure that they were supposed to be training, and most certainly not out drinking alcohol in the middle of the day. Her nose crinkled as she saw one of them take out a cigarette and light up. She let out a muted sigh, she guessed she would have to excuse their behavior, after all, they had been working hard recently. They deserved to enjoy their youth like their non-mobster peers.

She had it all planned out in her head already. She would stop by the flower shop before returning back to the estate, fib that she had been wandering in the gardens flower picking, and not whisper a word of what she witnessed at the pub to anyone. She smiled to herself, acknowledging her devious plan and getting lost in her thoughts.

Haru snapped out of it and returned her attention back onto her friends, which she realized had now been joined by a new group of people. This new entourage could have been viewed as simple women looking for company. But no amount of sheltering would hide the fact that these ladies were indeed prostitutes. Not particularly uncommon within the realm of the mafia.

Her eyes widened as she saw the women shamelessly proceeded to lift the hems of their dresses, letting male eyes from all over the establishment gape at and wander up and down their legs. At this point, the women had zeroed in on the three youths; it was not difficult to recognize people of power and influence, even if they were of the women ventured even further as they scandalously sat themselves in the boy's laps, draping their bodies around them. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, hoping that it would prevent her gasp from being heard. She tried looking away, knowing that she shouldn't have followed them in the first place.

She had forgotten common knowledge, they _were_ men, and this was clearly not a place a place for a young girl like Haru to be in. Deciding that she had seen enough, and that she need be on her way, Haru placed a tip on the table and got up to leave. She was careful to do so discreetly as she tip toed towards the exit. She needed to be sure that she had avoided their attention at all costs.

And she would have been successful too, if it weren't for the living obstacle that stood in her way.

As she was closing the distance between her and the door, she concentrated on the group of boys, making sure that they didn't see her. But it was because of that concentration that contributed to the lack of attention paid on where she was going. The second that she tore her gaze away from them, she collided with something hard.

Terrified eyes waxed as she looked up to see what she had hit. It was a man—no boy. Not much older than herself, maybe in his late teens. Her first instinct was to apologize for her clumsy nature, and run away before she directed more attention at herself. But, as fate was giving her a difficult time, the man grabbed her arm before she could get away.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said in a hushed whisper, not daring to look up at the assailment gripping onto her. She tried ripping her here arm away, but his grip was too strong.

"No, it was my bad," even though she wasn't looking, she could see the smile on his face, "But hey, I haven't seen you around here…."

For a moment, Haru forgot to be scared. He seemed friendly enough, not meaning any harm. But then she panicked. She needed to leave, _now_. She didn't bother responding, she struggled to remove her arm from his hand. She had been warned of situations like this, she had heard about them from other women in the Vongola. Let's just say, their only advice was to run, and run as far and fast as you could.

Noticing her efforts, the man released her arm.

"Are you okay, Miss? What's wrong?" his hand moved towards her. She winced, anticipating a strike that never came. Instead, a caring hand was placed on her shoulder. "Are you—"

Out of nowhere, the hand was flung away by an external force. The stranger was immediately slammed against the side of the building and pinned down in a matter of seconds. "What" a deep voice growled, "the hell" the stranger was pushed into the wall again, "are you doing!"

It didn't take Haru more than a couple seconds to assess what had just went down.

She looked up, watching Tsuna grabbing onto the mystery boy's collar, holding him up against the wall. This time, she didn't have to look into his eyes to know that he was pissed.

Just as Yamamoto and Gokudera had jumped to aid their companion, a group of four or five rose from their seats to back up the stranger. The atmosphere had become extremely dangerous within a matter of moments. The sounds of guns being cocked and knuckles cracking could be heard through the eerily quiet surroundings. To put it simply, they weren't in the safest part of town.

Thankfully, there was a level headed one amongst them all.

Yamamoto walked up to Tsuna, and grabbed his hands. He leaned in, and calmly whispered into his ear.

"Tsuna, be wise. We need to be careful, this isn't our territory…"

Tsuna exhaled a deep breath, but his grip on the man's collar remained strong. But Yamamoto was more determined, as he forcibly began removing Tsuna's hands from the shirt.

"Tsuna," Haru quietly watched in awe, she barely saw Yamamoto so serious. "Go." The two proceeded a brief stare-down, making it clear that neither of them were going to give ground.

Another voice interrupted, "Decimo," the pair turned their heads. "He's right. Take Haru home, all right? Me and this idiot will make sure things here get settled," he uses his head to point out the situation around them.

Tsuna was usually indifferent to almost everything, but when it came down to certain things, he would easily lose it. He glared back at his victim, and grudgingly let go, but not before giving him a last rough slam into the wall. And before she could say anything, Haru was ushered out of the bar, dragged out by the arm.

Tsuna didn't say a word to her as they left. He maintained his silence as they walked a couple of blocks away from the pub, he said nothing as they got into the car, he didn't even look at her as they made their way back. But he did, however, keep his increasingly painful hold on her arm.

When they arrived, he continued to give her the silent treatment as they made their way into the estate. Curious eyes followed them the entire time. It was highly unusual to see their future boss without his cool demeanor.

Throughout it all, Haru didn't dare break the silence. Though she had seen him angry before, she wasn't used to him being mad at _her_. The rare moments that he was, were never pleasant for anyone. His anger was menacing, and it terrified her to the point of no return. He yanked her up the stairs, pulled her down the hallway, opened a door and pushed her through.

She fell onto the ground of the room. Her large, brown, doe-like eyes went huge with shock, she had never really been manhandled. Her hands land on the a rug, as she looks up into the familiar setting, realizing what he had brought her there for.

It was the tea room.

No.

It was her tea room. A specific room reserved exclusively for her and fellow young women that resided in the house.

"What is this?" Tsuna demanded to no one in particular, pointing to Haru who was sitting in the middle of the room dumbfounded."Who let her out?"

No one answered. Haru looked with pleading eyes at the two girls in the room. She knew that they were every bit as scared as she was, if not more.

The braver of the two women spoke up, "Sir, what are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that, Hana. You know exactly what I'm talking about," his tone began to soften a little. He was beginning to cool back down, "Why was she outside, _by herself_? Who provided her with an alibi?"

Again, no one answered.

"Well?" he was gritting his teeth, but his volume had lowered considerably. He swallowed, stopping to think. His hand raised to pinch the high bridge of his nose.

The three girls waited there. Tsuna understood how the girls snaked past the rules, and snuck out of the house. He practically invented the method with Gokudera and Yamamoto. He'd never actually expected for any of them to follow his ways, and he'd be damned if anyone had put themselves in potential danger because of it.

"All right," Tsuna stepped back, eying them through narrowed eyes, "I know you were all involved. I want answers. I'm going to go report this back to Nona, and I guess we'll move onto punishment from there,"

A switch went off in Haru's head. Who was he to administer punishment? She was caught out once, yet he frequently made trips to bars when he was clearly underaged. She desperately wanted to talk back, but like a child afraid of being scolded, bit her tongue. He had let his temper go enough for one day.

By now, Tsuna had visibly recovered from his earlier outburst, and was beginning to resemble the person that they were used to. He moved forward, helping Haru off of the ground, chivalrously helping her into a chair next to her friends.

"We'll talk about this later," he whispers in her ear before leaving, "alone."

As the door closed shut behind him, they all let out the breath that they had been holding.

Haru looks at her friends with an apologetic expression.

"Just what mess did you make for yourself this time?"

**End Chapter 2**

A/N: So this is the plot I've come up with for this story, something that was sitting in my mind since I came home from school. I really just needed to get it out on paper. Unfourtunatley it's late, and I now need to get working on my homework. I know, I know, Tsuna is totally OOC, but I just felt like it needed to be done here. He still dearly cares for his friends in a more protective and kind of aggressive way.

I know that the first chapter was a little confusing, but all loose ends should be tied in the rest of the story. You'll make connections, in time. If its doesn't make any sense later on, please let me know. Reviews are cherished! It makes it a little difficult to keep writing when I get little feedback. As weird as it sounds, I live off of what you guys write back! (Anonymous Reviews are welcome as well!)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's a chapter dedicated to explain parts of Haru's and Tsuna's past. Their relationship turned out to be more complicated in my story than I had initially anticipated. But I feel that if I include chapters that concentrate on their pasts, then it'll all work out more nicely.

I was debating whether or not to update at all, because it seems like no one's been reading after the first chapter. But I posted anyways, holding onto the hope that maybe someone will review. This chapter took me the longest so far, I hope it pays off. Enjoy!

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**Chapter 3**

She was thirteen years old when she got her first taste of the mafia world.

Though her roots were completely Japanese, Haru was a native born Italian. Her parents had relocated from Japan to Sicily as her mother was pregnant and in her third trimester. They told her people that they had eloped, but the truth was that they ran away. They were having financial difficulties and couldn't handle to loan sharks.

It was too bad that the mafia was no more lenient with loans.

She was raised in deep poverty, her parents had little means to make ends meet. She could remember her mother begging her father to stop gambling, get a job, and help to support the family. But he didn't listen. Her mother had to resort to the most shameful of methods to put food on the table. Haru had been too young to fully comprehend what went on behind the closed doors of her parent's bedroom when her mother brought other men home, but she understood that it was a secret.

One night, her father had walked in on her mother while she was on the clock. He was outraged. He grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and then stabbed her mother's client in the chest. She remembered how his eyes went wide as he collapsed, how his mouth had turned blue as he took his last breath. Her father proceeded to beat his wife and daughter, striking them until black and blue all over. He wouldn't have stopped if he hadn't sobered up after hitting them.

It had not been more than an hour after her father had killed the man, had they arrived. They came with guns and weapons, and without so much as a word, simultaneously opened fired on her father, and then on her mother, their ear splitting screams etched into her framework of her memory.

He was fourteen years old when he first met her.

His childhood had been marked by sadness, darkness, and misery.

He shouldered the blame of his mother's death. Before he was born, his mother had always been the picture of health, and her sudden death struck everyone as a surprise. Despite her strong body and success in giving birth, her health deteriorated, and she passed away shortly after. He had been his parents first, and only child.

His father despised him. After all, he was what had taken away what was most precious from him away from the world. His father knew nothing could have been done, and the fault didn't belong to his son, but he couldn't help it.

He grew up with the burden of wielding the title Vongola Decimo. He was forced to begin extensive training and education, learning how to use a gun before most others had learned to read. The pressure to excel was beyond comprehension. He initially displayed very little promise of one day becoming a mafia boss, but through his preserving attitude and strong personality, he gained respect from others. He was an extremely headstrong, yet precocious and caring young boy.

One night, he overheard a troubling conversation. He had made it a habit to eat hidden in the house kitchen, behind one of the larger counters. He disliked eating in the main dining hall, as it was far too large, and empty, for him to be eating in alone. His father had been working abroad, and he had been left in the trusted hands of his grandfather, Vongola Nona. The counters of the kitchen provided a sort of security and comfort that the vacant dining room did not.

"Word's gotten around the people saw him going into the southern part of town…"

"South? So he went to visit that Japanese whore…"

"He's usually not gone this long…"

"Come on, let's round up some men and check it out…"

"Benito that bastard, always getting into trouble…" one of them growled.

Tsuna repeated the name in his head. Benito. He knew the man, but not well. Benito had been a dirty brute, a swine. A coward, yet ruthless to those around him, he have never cared for anyone around him. From what Tsuna could gather, these men were low ranking members of the family. Tsuna had no business sticking his nose in affairs that were completely unrelated.

He didn't know what had possessed him to follow them.

As a child, he had rarely been allowed outside of the compound walls, but he was still familiar with his surroundings. The few times that he had been out, he had memorized where everything was. Though ridiculous, the men were so inexperienced that they hadn't noticed him trailing behind them as they made their way to their destination.

It had all happened so quickly, he didn't quite remember how everything exactly played out. Basically, the man, Benito, his friends, had kicked the door of a broken down shack-like house of an impoverished area. There were gunshots. There were laughs. There were screams. And there was blood. After only a couple of minutes, he watched the men exit just as swiftly as they had come.

And now, here was the ten year old boy who had been occasionally let out of his house, left alone to explore the aftermath of obvious bloodshed. The moment he ventured further into the crime scene, his gag reflex kicked in; the place reeked of alcohol and blood. He stood at the foot of the door, bent over, coughing violently, panting. It was jarringly quiet, he stayed there, listening to his own breathing.

But then a wailing sound interrupted him, causing his head to shoot up.

His eyes made contact with something that shocked him.

It was a girl, one that didn't look like the people from around there. She was collapsed in the corner of the room, unable to move. The whimpers continued.

He cautiously entered the house, using all of his willpower not to vomit from the overpowering scent of metal. He approached the girl. Upon closer inspection, he found that she had been badly beaten, and shot in the leg, probably by a stray bullet. He stood over her, at a loss of what to do.

She lied there, writhing on the floor in pain. One moment she had been sitting under the table, hoping that her father had calmed down enough to stop hitting her and her mother. The next, three men had come barged into their house, stopped to see the lifeless body in the middle of the building, and started firing their guns at both of her parents. Her parents.

Her eyes flew open.

He jumped back, startled by the sudden movement.

She sees him, but ignores him. She lifts herself onto her elbows, crawling forward to see her father's still body. Her eyes scan the room, hoping that her mother had not found the same fate. They stop as they land on what she wanted to be a lie.

"_Mommy_?" her voice was dry, soft.

Just as both of them had anticipated, there was no response.

She ignored the pain shooting through her body as she crawled to her mother's body. Her hand slowly goes to touch her mother's arm, "Mommy," she said again. But she knew it was useless. She could tell from the various blood wounds, and lack of motion in the chest.

He silently watched her go from whimpers to broken sobs. He watches the girl cling onto the dead women in front of them. The entire sight tugged on his heart strings. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he could relate to the pain she was feeling, and he was sure that she could relate to what he had felt for his entire life.

The loss of a parent was a terrible thing, that much he understood. He never received the opportunity to actually meet his mother, and to a certain degree, he never wanted to. Because if he did, the pain that he would feel at her absence would be amplified to a point he simply could not handle. That being said, the pain of the girl in front of him was experiencing was far greater than anything he had to endure.

No one deserved to feel that way, not alone at least.

Taking whatever braveness that a twelve boy had, he bent down, kneeling next to the broken spirit in front of him.

She didn't look at him. She didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence, preoccupied with more overpowering thoughts. Her wailing grew louder.

He sits down next to her, knees pulled up loosely to his chest, elbows leaning on his knees, doing nothing but waiting.

Neither of them remembered how long they had stayed exactly like that. With her crying over a dead body, and with him waiting for her to finish.

It could have been an hour. It could've been two, or three. It didn't matter, time held no significance when dealing with something like this. None of it would have remotely made it any less painful.

After a while, the sobbing drowned out, and her tears dried.

"So that's your mom," he looked straight ahead, he was wary of his question.

She said nothing. He slowly shifted his gaze to observe what she was doing now.

She hadn't been looking at him either, but she gave a small nod.

He thinks of what to say next, but she beat him to the punch.

"She was selling herself". It was softer than a hushed whisper, but he heard her. She made a face, "to that man," she looked at one of the bodies lying in the room.

He had known that the woman was the 'Japanese whore' that the men had been talking about back in the house kitchen, but her brazen statement still caught him off guard. Without thinking he responds,

"_So she brought this upon herself_,"

Her head shot up as she stared at him with incredulity, her eyes widened with disbelief. She sat up to face him. He winced at the noticeably blackening bruise over her right eye.

The words had slipped out unconsciously. He hadn't meant to sound so callous, but the thought had become something like second nature. Prostitutes, hookers, escorts, whatever they wanted to be called, were all alike. They were all desperate for money, and willing up to give up their dignity and self respect for to get it. He had seen countless women throw themselves at the highest bidder. It wasn't like they went into it all without knowing the dangers of their profession. They were well aware of risks and possibilities of terrible acts. Rapes, beatings, and deaths, were just another part of that lifestyle.

But nonetheless, he regretted saying it to a girl who had seen her mother mercilessly murdered right in front of her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. In a way, by doing so, he sent the message that he was sorry for saying it, but wanted to move onto something else.

"Where'd you get—" he motioned his hand at his own eye, "that?"

Confused, she moved her hand to touch her own eye, now aware of the throbbing pain coming from it. The instant that it makes contact with the tender skin on her face, she flinches, immediately pulling her fingers away.

"From him," her eyes fall on the third dead body lying on the ground. This time, her voice wasn't as low as it had been before. He detected a semblance of anger mixed in. "my father."

He was surprised. They held more common ground than he originally thought. Both now had a deceased mother, and a poor relationship with their fathers. Or she _used to_ have one.

He took a better look at the girl. She was covered in cuts and bruises. Dark brown hair messily pulled into a ponytail. A dirty light yellow dress filled with small rips and tears. Then he noticed something more urgent.

"Your leg" he got up onto his feet.

Just like she had with her black eye, she reached to touch what she came to realize was a wound on her calf. She started to shake; her emotions had completely drowned out her physical pain.

"Say your Goodbyes," he instructed curtly. She stares up at him confused. "Quick. We need to get you some help."

He turned his back and walked a few paces away to give her the appropriate privacy.

She turned back down to her mother, examining the face of the person who had cared for her.

She just looked at her, and became aware of something she had not expected. Through all of the bruise sand gunshot wounds, through her disheveled hair, through the smudges of dirt on her face, she looked peaceful.

Who knew, that after a lifetime of suffering, her mother would die with an expression of serenity.

Somehow, just noticing that made her feel a bit better. Her mother was no longer being suffocated or held back. Her father wouldn't be around to bring her down anymore. She would be able to carry on without worries.

She leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek, mouthing her goodbye, simply because she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. Maybe because she had used up all the water in her body, or because of the termination of her mother's misery, but she didn't cry, not a tear.

After she finished, her came over to help her up. He threw her arm right around his shoulder with his left arm wrapped around her torso, and helped her limp out of the house. But shortly after getting up, she fainted.

She was out cold.

Now he had to figure out what to do with her. Finding it impossible to get anywhere by dragging her, he carried her on his back. As he walked out of the house and onto the street, he finally came to realize how much time had passed; the sun had already begun to rise. He had originally planned to bring the girl to a nearby hospital, but decided against it. They doctors would ask questions. Who was the girl? How did she get hurt? Where did she get hurt? Who hurt her?

It would have gotten too complicated.

He needed to get home too. He knew he was going to get it when he returned back home, they definitely knew that he was gone. He could only imagine the punishment he would receive when he would have to report to the Nona's office.

That's when he resolved that he would take her back with him. There, the Vongola doctors, whom he was sure would be far more competent than the average loons working at a common infirmary, would heal her. If he took her back with him, he could keep an eye on her.

He felt as if that was his own responsibility. If he could prevent someone from feeling the same kind of pain he felt, he would help. Whatever hadn't killed them, had only made them stronger.

Besides, it was what had made him go out and follow those random men in the first place that made him take her bake home.

Fate. It had decided to bring them together.

**End Chapter 3**

A/N: I find 14 year old Tsuna to be adorable! (or atleast the one I imagined up for this fanfiction). It took me a lot of consideration to figure out what ages would be appropriate for their first meeting. I had originally wanted them to be childhood friends, so I initially planned for them to meet at ages like eight or nine. But then I realized that they would simply be too young. The past chapter implied that the characters are in their late teens, and I wanted to make sure I gave myself enough time for them to have developed an actual relationship. I changed their ages about a million times, but I decided on 13 and 14 just because in the beginning of the series Tsuna is 14, so I felt he would be mature enough to handle the content in this chapter.

Please, Please, Please Review. It would make my writing experience much more enjoyable, and maybe give me some more motivation to write better chapters.

Stay tuned for the next one! Till next time :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's chapter four~ Please read it in combination with chapter five, hopefully it'll make everything a little less confusing and more coherent that way. This is just a continuation of what happened in Chapter Two :) enjoy, review!

**Chapter 4**

"What happened?" Hana hissed. Tsuna had just left the tea room, and left the three girls behind.

"I got caught…" Haru shamefully hung her head as the words came out.

"Well we know _that_, I'm talking about details,"

They all sat and gathered into the far corner of the room, sitting on the floor. They had discovered this was the best place to talk if it was about something they didn't want others gossiping about. Due to the fine construction of the house, it was impossible for others to hear what was said in that particular area. It was probably the safest to talk about what had gone on earlier that day.

Haru explained to the girls how she had gotten past all of the security downstairs and in the garden with their distraction. Chrome had pretended to faint, and Hana yelled for everyone to help. Just as they had anticipated, all of the guards came running to help the adorable and frail girl that had collapsed. Chrome then explained to Haru how their plan was almost airtight, as when people asked for her whereabouts, said that she wasn't feeling well, and was still in bed. Sick enough not to leave the room, but not sick enough to have to call on Dr. Shamal.

"And so I followed them downtown…"

"You went all the way downtown?"

"That wasn't part of the plan! It's risky down there, you never know what could've happened…"

Haru felt extreme guilt. It was never her intention to make people worry over her. Their concerns only escalated once she told them about what had happened on her way out of the bar.

"Thank God you're okay!" both of her friends moved over to Haru and suffocated her in a tight hug.

"You must've been so scared! That monster could've done something if Tsuna and them hadn't stood in his way…"

"You should be glad that they were there,"

Haru would admit that she their presence had saved her from what could have been a treacherous outcome. But the truth was, during most of it, she hadn't actually been that afraid. She hadn't really been paying all that much attention, but the person that had grabbed her arm didn't really give her a bad feeling. If it hadn't been for the stories that she had heard about women alone in areas like that, she wouldn't have panicked at all in the first place.

And the person that had grabbed her wasn't anything close to a monster. He was simply another person, about the same age as all of them. Now that she thought about it, he could've been a kind person passing by, trying to help her as she ran into him.

What had actually scared her wasn't the stranger. It was Tsuna.

When she saw him get angry, it horrified her.

It reminded her, of that time.

And if she didn't have to, she never wanted to remember _that_.

"I'm sorry you guys…" she said into one of their arms, they were still hugging.

"For what?" both of them mildly confused.

" All of us are going to get reprimanded for this…" her voice gets a little quieter, "because I got caught. It's my fault,"

"No, it not," Hana rubbed her back, comforting her.

"It was all of ours," Chrome added in quickly.

"We should've gone with you. It was foolish of us to even let you go out alone…"

The sat in the corner for a while longer, discussing and anticipating what they thought would happen after Tsuna talked to the Nona.

**-p-**

Tsuna knocked on the large oak doors before entering.

He strode in with angry steps, still trying to calm his frustration and anger.

How could Haru throw herself in the situation? He knew that she was smarter than that. Why did she need to follow them in the first place? Why did she go alone? Why hadn't she just asked if she could go along with them?

"Tsunayoshi, you look troubled,"

"Nona," Tsuna gave his grandfather a respectful nod of acknowledgement.

Tsuna made his way to one of the larger leather chairs sitting in front of the large desk in the middle of the spacious room and sat down. The ceilings were high, the walls decorated with bookshelves that stretched from one end to another.

"What can I do for you today, my boy?"

The Nona was a widely respected man in all aspects, not just in the mafia. Of course he held immense power, but he was also a loving person. He cared for those in need, and would stop at nothing to help those he loved; qualities that he shared with his grandson sitting in before him. He was old, but not senile, instead, he was wise. The wrinkles of his face had been prematurely set due to over work and stress, but his smile he made would gave him a friendly look.

"I need your help to administer appropriate punishment,"

"What?" The Nona raised an eyebrow. It wasn't really a request that he had been expecting.

Tsuna sighed loudly, as he ran a hand through his hair.

"For the girls,"

"Ah…"

When a puzzled look spread onto his grandfather's face, Tsuna elaborated. "Haru snuck out today, and followed me and Yamamoto and Gokudera out into a bar. She brought major attention to herself, and made a walking target out of herself,"

"What were you three doing in a bar?"

Nona laughed at the youth's face went blank. It was one mixed with slight annoyance and guilt at being caught. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me to interrupt. Please, continue," he held back another smile.

He started nervously once more, "They were all in on it together. They planned this. They purposefully put Haru in situation that they very well knew was not allowed…." Tsuna couldn't help but feel a bit ridiculous for telling on them, because in all honesty, he was being a straight up tattletale.

"They concocted some ridiculous plan that somehow let her get past all the security. When I brought her home, I could sense the guilt in Hana's voice when I asked her about it,"

"I see," the elder nodded as he diligently took in all of the information. He remains silent as he takes all of it in.

All while Tsuna was explaining what had happened, the mafia boss found everything extremely comedic. But once he got to the part where Tsuna had assaulted the man at the scene, his expression darkened.

It was very dangerous for anyone to pick a fight in certain areas, and more so for ones with reputations on the line. Tsuna was a young and promising young man, who would someday soon inherit his right to the Vongola name. Positive and relations with other famiglias, no matter how powerful the Vongola were, were vital and imperative in maintaining peace and stability.

"Do you know exactly who the man you pushed was?"

"No, not at all. I'm sure that he isn't from around here, I didn't recognize him at all. I don't think either Gokudera or Yamamoto did either, or they would've been alert the moment he walked in,"

Tsuna stops and thinks for another moment.

"But then again, the second I touched him, a group of people stood up to protect him, so from what I can tell…"

"he's important," the elder finished for him.

"Yes."

They stayed quiet, both were deep in thought.

"Well, about the girls," Nona looked onto his desk, "I feel that some additional security should secure their antics," he paused, "But as for the man you grabbed before, and that situation," he shifts his gaze to look into his grandson's eyes, "I'll look into it."

"Yes, sir,"

"You may go," his eyes more serious as he dismisses him.

"Thank you, Nona," Tsuna got up from his seat and walked back the same way he had come in. Before he left, he gave a slight bow of gratitude, and closed the large doors behind him.

**-p—**

Tsuna had found her outside before dinner, she was sitting on the edge of one of the larger fountains in the gardens. She sat with her feet dangling in the water, the ends of her dress scrunched up to prevent them from getting soaked; her back was towards him as he walked up behind her.

"Haru…" he sat down next to her, but facing the other way. His unexpected appearance made her shoulders jump and her feet splash.

She didn't know how to respond, so she said nothing. Waiting to listen to what he had to say.

"Today, what happened…" he begins softly, but his voice turns stern, "you understand why I was upset, right?" he sees her nod from the corner of his eye. "And I understand that you wanted to get out. But whatever the circumstances, there is no excuse for your actions today."

Her heart beat grew faster and louder. He takes her wrist into his hand, he knows that he isn't being gentle, but he doesn't care.

"You could have seriously been hurt, you know that? Going outside alone is something you can't do, more so than anyone else here. You attract so much attention and…"

She winces a little. It was true. It was clear to everyone in all of Europe that Haru wasn't from around there, her appearance was clearly oriental.

"I want to protect you, but I can't do that if you're running around town all the time,"

Haru knew that his intentions were good, but she could feel her feelings boil up. She jerks her wrist away from his grasp.

"Who said I needed you to protect me? I'm perfectly capable of doing it by myself,"

"No, no you're not," the tone of his voice was getting lower, she could tell his temper was beginning to flare up. But that didn't stop her.

"Here you are sitting, trying to punish me for doing something you do almost every day! It's not as if everyone's unaware of your trips to the bars, to the pubs, even to the…"she stops herself, unwilling to say it.

"To where, Haru?"

She whispered it. She whispered because she didn't want to hear it, "the brothels"

His reaction was anything but a whisper, "You can't be serious, Haru. The brothels? Have you ever even seen me interested in things like that?" his voice was booming. They were lucky they were the only ones out at this time.

"No, to be honest, I don't. But the walls aren't thin here, and words fly fast in a place like this,"

"Just to be clear, I've done no such thing," he grabs her chin to make sure that she's listening, "And I need you to believe me on that."

She didn't want to admit it, but she did. She didn't want to think that all of the chatter and gossip was true.

"And then what about the other place that you go,"

"What other place?" he looked at her, trying to figure out where she was leading him. She almost immediately regretted bringing it up. Talking about it would surely make him go livid. When she didn't say anything, he repeated, "What other place?"

Without thinking, she ripped her chin from his hand, hastily took her feet out of the fountain, and grabbed her shoes from the stone cobbled ground. She tried to leave, but he was faster.

He was standing in front of her, stopping her from going any further. His right hand grabbed onto both of her wrists in front of her chest, letting her shoes fall to the floor. "Let me go!" she shrieks as she struggles to break free.

"Haru," it was rare to hear his voice so filled with anger, he broke down every word, "What other place?"

"I'm not telling you," she continued to shake her hands in attempts to get away.

"Well why the hell not?" He was towering over her. He was angrier than she had seen him earlier that day.

"Because—" her throat went dry, "You'll be just like you were before!" tears poured all along her face, and they showed no signs of ceasing.

The words that had come out her mouth made something click in Tsuna's mind. He stared back at her, completely lost as to what he should say. But his anger remained.

"Just like what? Like after she got hurt? I'll get mad, go crazy, and start my rampage?" his voice boomed so loudly that it echoed. She knew that people inside could've heard it.

She didn't care anymore, she let the words fly freely. "Yes! Exactly like that! Whenever you get angry, it's just like that!" she tried to bite her lip so it wouldn't quiver, "And you go to see her, all the time don't you? Don't you? Every two weeks! Every single time!"

"That's the place?" he asked, with his voice slightly softer. She nodded silently and turned her attention to the shoes that had been thrown on the ground. He let his right hand go, releasing her wrists, but only to use it to grab the left hand.

"Do you see this?" she looked in front of her, he was referring to the ring on her fourth finger. "This means that none of that matters! Me, going to see her, at all, means nothing! I care about _you_, I'm going to marry _you_!"

She wished that she felt the slightest sliver of truth behind his words. Before she could say anything in response, he threw his hand away, and lightly pushed her away. He walked away, leaving her alone, barefoot, and crying by the fountain.

**End Chapter 4**

A/N: ouch, I know, Tsuna's pretty harsh. You should never leave a crying girl by herself! Oh, but he has his issues, as you will find in the coming chapters. Thanks for reading!

(REVIEW PLEASE!)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Some more history for the two characters! This chapter, for some reason, was really fun to write. I hope that it will answer some question from the last chapter, and if it doesnt, please tell me, i'll try to make it as clear as possible. Enjoy, Review!

**Chapter 5**

For someone who was only a few weeks short of turning nineteen, Sawada Tsunayoshi was extremely experienced. And not in the ways the one would have expected a teenager to experience. But in the way that someone expected the person who would lead one of the most powerful mafia famiglias in all of Italy would.

He grew up without strong paternal figures, forced to bring himself up with what he read in books and observed around him.

He found no comfort in his father's arms, his mother buried six feet under the month he was born.

He earned respect from those who thought he was incapable, leaving the dumbfounded by his immeasurable stubbornness to prove them wrong.

He had built up his own followers, not those that supported him because of his title but because of their unwavering loyalty to him, and only him.

Death threats were just another part daily life.

He had killed by the age of fifteen, tortured by the blood stained on his hands.

But what had major effects on him up to his closing nineteen years, was when he had fallen in love.

He had loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Her calming, soothing smile, she was perfect, beautiful. He immediately grew attached, he thought he had found the one. That there was no one else in the world.

And her name, was, Sasagawa Kyoko.

She was the daughter of a prestigious businessman who specialized in the production and distribution of weapons. She was trained to use a gun, with a dead-as-dead aim. Her family had worked under the Vongola for generations, continuously supporting and aiding the famiglia. Her older brother fought alongside Tsuna, known for his skill in hand to hand combat.

Needless to say, both Kyoko and Ryohei were important people to the Decimo. He would make sure as long as they resided within his jurisdiction, that they would be safe. But unbeknown to him and everyone else, that he wouldn't be able to control their fates.

Kyoko and Haru were fast friends.

They had immediately hit it off. Both of them were complete opposites of the other. Their appearances, their personalities, and their backgrounds could be put on polar ends of the spectrum.

Kyoko came from old money, with her life planned out for her from the moment she was born into the world. Society had forced the expectation of fitting the mold of the modest, beautiful, and perfect woman, meek and timid, loyal, and obedient. It pained her mother that her daughter was a ruffian, hanging out with her older brother and his friends. Playing in the mud, tearing and staining her expensive dresses, shooting a gun instead of dressing her dolls, Kyoko had developed into a headstrong and admirable woman. She was miserable, with the perpetual shame of disappointing her parents, that is, until _that_ winter morning.

It was custom for those in close relation with the Vongola to live within close proximity. All of lived on the Vongola compound, it was simply a method having easier access to important members of the famiglia and of assuring the safety and security of allies and companions.

Kyoko and her mother had rose early that morning. Her mother fussing with the maids while trying to scold her for disobeying the rules about stealing guns from Mr. Sasagawa's gun collection. Both of them were getting dressed when they had heard a sudden ruckus coming from the front of the estate. Curious as to what had been going on at such an hour, they ran to the balcony. And what they saw was their future boss, carrying someone on his back. Kyoko quickly ran down to greet her friend, going down the stairs and running into the foyer, leaving her mother behind on the balcony.

He was drenched in blood, safe to say not his own as he stood uninjured, while the sleeping girl he was holding was dressed in tattered rags, also drenched in blood, with tear stricken cheeks. But it wasn't his physical appearance that had shocked her, it was more so his actions.

He was sad.

Tsuna always smiled at Kyoko, even if the situation was grim, he would smile as soon as he saw her. This time when he saw her however, he said nothing, and ignored her.

He continued to bark orders out, and despite his young age, everyone scrambled to obey.

He was worried.

Doctors picked the girl out of his arms. Kyoko watched as he reluctantly let the girl out of his hold, and anxiously watched as they took her away.

Kyoko ran up to Tsuna, stopping in front of him with a confused expression, they looked onto the floor below them silently. Without saying anything, Kyoko knew something about that girl had touched Tsuna, irked him, bothered him.

A man came in, telling Tsuna that Vongola Nona had requested his presence in his study. Tsuna moved to leave, but murmurs something under his breath first.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, Kyoko,"

She knew it wouldn't have been polite to ask, but she did anyways, "Who was that girl?"

He turned around, stopping to think. It then occurred to him that he didn't know enough to answer.

"What's her name?"

He slowly placed his palm onto his forehead as he realized her had forgotten to ask.

Soon after Haru had arrived on the compound, Kyoko's mother had pounced. It was finally an opportunity to properly raise a girl to act as a lady; it might have been too late for her own daughter, but it certainly wasn't for a recently orphaned girl.

Haru's injuries had begun to heal after a couple of weeks, only a couple of bruises remained, the sole bandage on her body the one from her gun wound. Kyoko's mother was thrilled to find that Haru acted as a lady without needing to be asked. Haru put up with the elaborate outfits and dresses, followed the rules of etiquette, and best of all, not taken up a fondness of firearms.

And even though Kyoko was happy to have her mother off her back, she couldn't help but to feel envious of the stranger. Her mother adored Haru, and Kyoko began to think that she have loved Haru more than her own daughter. She found Haru to be far more graceful, far more ladylike with exotic features ranging from her dark hair to her large almond shaped eyes.

And as fate would have it, Haru was jealous of Kyoko. Though Haru was happy to have a mother figure in her life once more, she knew that Ms. Sasagawa didn't really see her as a daughter. Kyoko was effortlessly beautiful, possessing a bright smile and charming laugh, constantly leaving everyone in awe with her every move. What was more was the Haru was aware of Tsuna's obvious affections towards Kyoko. She had sensed it the moment that she saw them together.

The two of them ended up blurting their feelings of jealousy towards the other at the same time, making them laugh at the irony. They started to spend more time with each other. Kyoko helped her new friend to adjust to the difficult mafia lifestyle and learn how to handle a gun, while Haru persuaded Kyoko to negotiate with her mother yet still be true to her own personality.

Haru never had the chance to be with other children when she was younger, it was her very first time to experience friendship. Kyoko had been raised surrounded by males, Haru was the first person that she could relate to and share the most intimate of secrets with.

The next three years flew by without them even realizing it.

A new girl, Hana, and another, Chrome, had moved into the house. Hana was the daughter of a prominent scholar, sharp-tongued and opinionated, but at the same time protective of those she was close with. Chrome had been a reject of another family in the area, with somewhat of an uncommon upbringing, bashful and extremely shy. A strong bond had formed between this foursome, they spent their free time together, sitting in the tea room upstairs plotting their next move against the boys, who had started a 'war' against them the day they came rudely burst in and hosed water onto them. As childish as these fights were, they were the few connections that they had with their adolescence.

The Nona had hired a new tutor to accelerate Tsuna's growth into a mafia boss. His new teacher, Reborn, had instructed his student to acquire a set of six guardians who were to help him protect his domain along with the people living in it. He chose his childhood friend and right hand man, Gokudera Hayato to be his Storm Guardian. And Yamamoto Takeshi, a Japanese descendent of a long line of prominent swordsmen, to be his Rain Guardian.

The rest of his guardians came naturally. Rokudo Mukuro, the boy who originally came to retrieve Chrome and bring her back to their respective family, somehow became his Mist Guardian. The Cloud Guardian, a killer with a strong sense of justice and loyalty, Hibari Kyoya was next. Kyoko's brother, Ryohei, who showed extreme power in his fighting style, was made into the Sun Guardian. And last, Reborn's nephew, the second son and therefore ineligible to the title as boss of his own family, Bovino Lambo, became the Lighting Guardian.

Tsuna and his guardians, though all relatively young in comparison to mafiosos all over Italy, were a force to be reckoned with. They were infamous for their strength and influence. Most people were wary of them, and tried to stay on their good sides. The effects of ticking off the new generation of Vongola would have been devastating.

And as foolish as it would have been to cause trouble, there were still some people who persisted in picking a fight.

It had always seemed like a day far away for everyone. The inheritance ceremony, where Nona would step down, Tsuna would officially be given the title Vongola Decimo and take over all responsibilities of the famiglia, had finally arrived. Reborn had decided to schedule the coronation the day of Tsuna's seventeenth birthday.

The relationship between Kyoko and Tsuna grew more intense over time, and though no one made an statement on their status as a couple, it was evident that they had gotten together.

Haru had never been completely sure, but something inside of her made her suspect that Tsuna and Kyoko knew of her romantic sentiments towards Tsuna. She was thankful that neither of them had confronted her, because she knew that if they did, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from begging for them to break up.

But since they never did, she sucked it up, locked her pain inside, and slapped a smile onto her face whenever she saw them together. She didn't know why she had ever allowed to fall for Tsuna, as she always knew that he was only interested in Kyoko.

The day of the Inheritance Ceremony, all of the estate was in shambles. Everyone was scurrying from one corner of the compound to the other, everyone prepping the space, cooking the food that was served, getting all of the guests seated, and making sure that everything in general ran smoothly. Security was tight, and everyone felt assured that nothing grave would occur.

Haru and the rest of the girls were ushered into the dressing rooms, forced to traditional formal wear. They held each other's hands as they another would pull the laces tighter onto their corsets. Haru gazed at her reflection in the mirror as Kyoko was behind her, tying the strings in the back of her dress.

Tsuna was a complete wreck before the ceremony. He was nervous as hell, and rightly so.

His entire life thus far had been solely dedicated to this sole moment. His father would be attending the ceremony, and as much as he wished it to be untrue, he desperately wanted to earn his approval. He stood in front of the body length mirror as he pulled at his tie.

He wasn't the only one receiving an official title, he and the rest of his guardians were being crowned today along with him. He would receive the Vongola Decimo position, while they would receive their positions as his guardians. All of them were dressed in modern suits. Simple, black pants and jackets, with pressed white shirts, and black ties.

He stared at into the mirror. He was a slightly taken aback by what he realized.

He had grown up. The last time he saw himself, he never remembered being as tall as he was, or his shoulders being as broad as they were, or his expression being as serious as it looked. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he shifted his gaze away from the mirror to look at the person behind him.

It was Gokudera, and the panicked look on his face did not do anything to settle Tsuna's nerves.

"Boss, there's trouble,"

**End Chapter 5**

A/N: Ahhh! How did you like it? It was really a hoot to write about more characters in this chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to introduce them into the plotline later on. So if you like, please review, if you dont, still, please review!

Hmm...I feel like I use Kyoko as Haru's bff in all of my fics, but hey, maybe i'll change with time. Also, I was thinking whether or not I wanted Hana and Ryohei together. What do you think?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As some of you may or may not know, I'm a beginner writer on fanfiction, I started posting only a week ago. I really do enjoy writing for those of you who actually read, but I have to say, the amount of reviews that I've been receiving are a bit disappointing (that's not to write off the lovely few who do review! I cherish every one of your responses!). I really do want to know what you guys are thinking, so please please please, after you finish a chapter, just tell me what you think. I know some of my readers might be shy, but it really does make my writing experience a lot better knowing if you guys actually like what I'm posting.

That being said...

There is a bit more progression in the plotline in this chapter. It has a bit of flashback mixed in with it, but I didn't put any italics to help you readers spot where the differences are between the present and the past, so read diligently! I hope that I wrote it in a way that makes everything understandable! Enjoy :)

Enjoy :)

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**Chapter 6**

Of all the times that Tsuna had admitted that he acted like an ass, this one pretty much took the cake.

He had left his fiancé alone in the gardens.

At night.

And Weeping.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop and turn back as he burst through the back doors of the building. Haru had brought up the one topic that they both knew he couldn't control. The tension built up into his chest as if he couldn't speak or even breathe. In an angry rage, he pushed past who ever may have crossed his path, trying to sort out the rush of thoughts spinning in his head.

He had lost his temper, twice, that day, most of it had been directed at Haru. He felt shameful in his actions of that day, he was sure that he must have scared the daylights out her. It wasn't as if it had really been any of her fault, she was just trying to go out and have fun, just trying to defend herself when he had scolded her.

He made his way all over the building, letting his legs guide him to whatever place they wanted. Nothing seemed to be working out the way he had originally anticipated, and all of it was overwhelmingly frustrating. Everything always seemed to be out of his control, the world was toying with his feelings and his mind. He climbed up the steps of a steep staircase, holding onto the banister for support.

Tsuna loved Haru, that much he was sure of. But after tonight, he didn't know if she felt the same way. It wasn't as if Haru hadn't suffered more than her fair share during her short life, but he knew that his presence had no doubt participated in her heartache.

By the time he had finally taken a deep breath, and the suffocating feeling he was experiencing disappeared, he was aware of where he was. He should've just laughed off the situation, but instead, he was shocked. Maybe there was some truth to all of Haru's concerns.

He had gotten there without really realizing where he was headed. He guessed that he had simply grown so accustomed to come there when he was stressed.

The hallway was dark, as most people wouldn't have entered this part of the house so late in the day. His footsteps were heavy and slow. He knew that only being there would've killed Haru, but he wasn't able to control his body. His hand reached for the door knob, and pushed it open. He stood at the entrance, leaning on the door frame.

There she was.

Nothing had changed, everything was left untouched, the same as he had seen it just days earlier.

Haru was deadly on the target when she asked him about coming here every two weeks, it was almost like clockwork. He thought he had been discreet in his visits, but clearly the nurses in the medical wings had big mouths.

Even if she couldn't hear him talk to her, even if she couldn't feel his presence, even if people said she wouldn't live for much longer, he didn't care. Kyoko might have been in a coma, but regardless, she would be a huge part in his life.

Kyoko was, and would always be his first love. After what almost amounted to two years, he was still there, just as obsessed as he was the day of the accident.

No one visited her as much as he did, not her parents, her brother, or even her friends. The doctors strongly recommended against it, as they found the probability of her recovery close to nothing. It was a battle for them to just keep her alive.

He didn't dare to take a step into the room, remembering the look on Haru's face right before he ran off. He couldn't comprehend the force that had brought him back to this very room weeks after weeks. He knew he needed to cut his ties with his past, but he stopped people from moving Kyoko out of the house. He knew he would hurt Haru if he didn't, yet he continued to see her.

So he stared from a distance.

She looked sick, ghostly pale, fragile, and weak. Somehow at the same time, he found her beautiful. Like a doll, she looked so peaceful sleeping; with thick eyelashes and dark blonde hair neatly tucked under her. This was the sight he relentlessly craved. It gave him a sense of familiarity, of how things had been when they were children.

He let out a deep breath, he had gotten his fix. He was ready to face Haru again. Maybe apologize for his unnerving behavior recently. He uses his elbow to push himself off of the side of the door, slowly taking in Kyoko's image before turning on his heel and stuffing his hands in his pockets. But by the time he had rotated around, he was greeted the most unwelcome sounds that he had ever heard.

The alarm rang so loud that he almost brought his hands up to cover his ears. There were no such things as drills in the Vongola. Emergencies meant danger, and danger to everyone. Without sparing another thought, he sprinted towards the lobby.

-**p**-

Haru was in utter astonishment. This might have been the first time that Tsuna had allowed his anger to flow so freely in front of her, much less leave her alone after a fight.

As she watched his back disappear as he stormed off, she froze. She had no idea how to react. Should she go after him, or let him cool off by himself?

After she was sure he was gone, she allowed her sadness take over. She tried silence her hiccups, covering her mouth with her palm. She couldn't risk anyone finding out about their lover's quarrel, what would people think? She couldn't endanger their reputation as a couple. Her sincere attempts would have worked if no one was around to see her. Even though she could hide the sounds of her crying, she couldn't hide the obvious hitch of her shoulders as she gasped for air in between hiccups.

She bent over, sitting on her heels, hand still in place over her face. She reached over with her free arm to retrieve the poor pair of shoes that were thrown in the midst of everything. The usual weight that she felt inside of her was absent; it had been replaced with an empty, hollow one.

She knew that a part of Tsuna would always love Kyoko, Haru missed her best friend just as much. Bonds as strong as the ones that they possessed could not be easily erased with something as tempting as time.

She vividly remembered his face when he found Kyoko.

She remembered how he spent days by Kyoko's bedside, crying, and begging for her to come back.

All of it came out of the blue, catching them completely by surprise.

The day of Tsuna's inheritance ceremony was off to a promising beginning. The guests were arriving, members were preparing, the girls were getting ready, and the boys were calming their nerves.

Haru was with Kyoko minutes before all of it suddenly occurred. Kyoko had finished tying up the back of her dress, and they were helping each other with their hair. Even Kyoko, who often resisted the formal dresses, complicated hairstyles, and painful shoes, put up with it all. She wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for her birthday, and if dealing with a few small inconveniences, so be it.

Hana had stolen lipstick from her mother's collection, and the foursome was having fun applying makeup. They pretended that it was their rite of passage equivalent to the boys' receiving their titles.

Ryohei had burst into their room, hands over his eyes, asking if everyone was decent. Kyoko laughed at her brother's silly precautions. He and Hibari were close to twenty, and it was no secret that it wouldn't have been his first time seeing a woman 'indecent'.

His purpose of visiting was of course to see his baby sister, but also to see Hana. Their budding romance and chemistry formed shortly after Hana had moved in. They were quite the couple, consisting of an passionate and exuberant youth, and a serious and cold counterpart.

"Of course we're all decent, if we weren't, we would be out here, would we?" Hana was standing across the room from where Ryohei had entered with her back towards him. Chrome had just finished tying the laces on Hana's dress. Her hands were on her hips, and before she could even relax and let her breath out, she saw her idiot beau's abrupt reflection in the mirror in front of her.

As he heard his girlfriend's voice, he removed his hands and let his jaw drop. All of the girls were looking quite beautiful but he found Hana's appearance to be striking. Recovering from his own state of shock, a grin stretched from ear to ear, and he strode towards her.

"You look stunning," he whispered, standing behind her, with his arms snaked around her waist.

The three girls watched them, unable to hold back their giggles. It was such a typical scene. Hana angry and Ryohei trying to calm her.

"And I can tell you're on edge," she retorted, smoothing down the skirt of her dress.

Ryohei laughed at her response, "Hey, I'm not in bad shape compared to the other guys…" he tried to nuzzle his head into her neck, but she turned around before he had the chance. He put his hands up in defeat. "Speaking of the other guys, you guys might want to check up on them. Especially Sawada, he's probably having a cow right about now,"

Both Kyoko and Haru had perked up, but Haru slid back down, knowing that he was talking to Kyoko.

"Mukuro, that bastard, probably won't admit it, but he's pretty tense too," Ryohei directed his words to Chrome, who was blushing madly. Not many people were aware, but wouldn't be surprised that the Mist guardian and the shy girl he had spent years searching for were more than usual acquaintances.

Hana smiled lightly as she watched Chrome fingering the choker around her neck. She grabbed her hand, "Come on Chrome, let's go see if we can find Mukuro," she led her out of the room, with Ryohei following on her heels.

"Last time I saw Tsuna, he was on his way to see Nona, if that helps…" he added before the door closed.

It was only Kyoko and Haru left in the room now.

"It's fine Kyoko, I have everything under control here," she referred to the mess that Hana and Chrome had left behind, "Go and find him before he talks to Nona," she turns away, hoping that Kyoko wouldn't spot her reluctance to let her go.

"_Haru! Get down!" _

It was too late. An arm had found its way around her neck. She couldn't see the assailant behind her. It took her a few seconds to let the situation that was unraveling sink in. The person pressed to her back had an arm stretched out in front of them, pointing a gun at Kyoko.

Being the impressive girl with fast reactions, Kyoko already had her own aimed at the person rear of Haru.

"Haru, don't move," Kyoko never took her eyes off the stranger with the gun.

It felt like acid burning through her throat as she swallowed. Haru had no idea what she was going to do.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Kyoko's voice was clear and precise, slicing through the air. But her hands were starting to tremble, she struggled to keep them steady.

Haru could sense the fear in Kyoko's eyes, and she couldn't help but feel the same way. She wanted to help. She wanted to do something.

A cruel inhuman laugh filled the room.

The person holding her was shaking, but unlike Kyoko, he was quivering from excitement. He was enjoying it.

"_We want revenge,"_

Kyoko's eyebrows knitted together, unable to understand. _We?_

A shadow emerged from behind them, holding something.

Haru tried to warn Kyoko, but a hand stopped her voice from coming out.

Kyoko didn't even have the opportunity to look around; the mirror was smashed over her head.

Haru screamed.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion from that point.

As the mirror made contact, the wooden board split in half, the glass shattering to pieces.

The expression of surprise written all over her friend's face, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.

She collapsed on the floor, her prized gun sliding across the room.

The cracking sound when her head hit the ground.

The brute that had been choking her released her, letting Haru fall to her knees.

She crawled to her fallen comrade, ignoring the sting of mirror cutting into her own skin.

Blood had begun to trickle down her forehead.

She cradled Kyoko's head in her lap, she was too scared to cry.

She looked at her hands, covered in blood from the wound on the back of Kyoko's head.

Flashbacks from years ago fly into her mind. Her mother's cold and dead body, sprawled across the floor. The smell of blood so strong she couldn't stand it.

And that was it. Haru had enough of it, of everything. She wasn't about to stand by, and let these killers get away with it.

Her eyes flew to Kyoko's pistol, lying only a few feet away. Without a moment to spare, Haru stood up, leaping to pick it up.

With what she had picked up from Kyoko, she pointed, cocked the gun, and pulled the trigger.

The first bullet hit a wall. She didn't hear it though. She couldn't hear anything anymore.

The strangers ducked, completely caught off guard. A hand shot up to grab hers, but she doesn't let him take it from her.

She turned to her side, ready to fire another round, her weapon pointed directly into the attacker's chest. Her index finger was in place so she could shoot.

But when she looked up, her distressed eyes met fiery, red ones. He had been wearing a mask that covered his entire visage, only the top portion of his face visible. They weren't what she had expected a murderer's eyes to look like. They looked apologetic, filled with remorse, with regret.

She couldn't move.

Her finger wouldn't budge. She couldn't kill someone with eyes like that.

So despite her hatred for the person standing before her, she didn't shoot him. Instead, she aimed to the side of his head, and shots the wall behind him.

His eyes are shocked at her actions. They flashed her a look of pity.

She doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking that he was safe. She moved the gun so it was pointed to the middle of his forehead.

Something slammed against her neck, knocking her into the ground. She had forgotten that there were two of them. As she fell to the ground, her eyes locked onto the stranger's, whose were filled with total shame.

Still conscious, but too weak to get up, she watched as the two ran out of the room.

It wasn't long before others ran in after they had left. Many had rushed in after they heard screaming and gunshots. But she distinctly remembered when he entered.

He violently shoved his way through the crowd, and fell onto his knees next to Kyoko's body.

She would never forget the mixture of sorrow, grief, pure wrath, and confusion displayed on his face. It was a scene that she would always remember. There was no way around it.

She didn't remember anything after that. She woke up in a bed, similar to the one she had woken up in after she first arrived. Hana and Chrome with red and puffy eyes sleeping resting their heads on each of her sides.

From them, she had found Kyoko had fallen into a coma, and that the future wasn't looking bright. They told her that Tsuna had driven himself completely mad. He had tried to catch those responsible for everything, but failed, as they left no traces behind. He locked himself up in his own room for weeks, refusing visitors or food. It was a side of him that no one was familiar with. He was angry at the entire world for taking Kyoko away from him. Not even the Nona dared to confront him, hoping that one day he would recover and return to the boy they all knew. The inheritance ceremony was postponed, and u

She wouldn't have been surprised if Tsuna never loved her in the same way that he did Kyoko.

Haru had the chance to eliminate one of the two people who had attacked them, but she was too weak to actually do it. She never mentioned to anyone what she remembered of that time. She never uttered a word of the person she was supposed to shoot; the one who didn't possess eyes of a killer.

She was responsible for the assailant's escape. And if she told Tsuna, she didn't know if he would ever look at her the same way.

Haru wiped her tears as she picked her shoes up off of the stone floor outside. She slowly rose, and sloppily slid her shoes around her feet. Her hiccups had calmed down, and she took her hand off of mouth, replacing it with the back of her hand.

She started walking back towards the house. Maybe if she found Tsuna, they could work things out before the night was over.

_Briiing Briiing Briiinng Briiinng_

Her head whipped around. The alarm couldn't have come at a worse time, when she was out of the safety of the house, and worse, alone.

She quickened her pace. She swore she heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't stop to look, she started running for her life. But she wasn't nearly fast enough.

Someone grabbed her by the waist and carried her away. Before she could scream, she was gagged and a sack was thrown over her head. She thrashed her arms and legs in hopes of getting away, but her captor, or captors, were having none of that.

With a sudden press to the shoulder, everything went black.

**End Chapter 6**

A/N: This chapter was a bit rushed when I was writing, sorry for any potential mistakes.

But nonetheless, what do you think? I wanted to have this be more of a chapter that went on with the plot, but I just feel like everything in the past needs more explaining. I feel that for whoever reads this to understand the story like I want them to, I need to give more background.

Review Please! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey so here's a shorter chapter, kind of just for fun, not really anything too significant in this part...but it's really just more background, just to remind readers that even though everything seems pretty sad, they all had some good times before :) Enjoy reading, as always it's fun to write this!

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**Chapter 7**

Haru had always been there for Tsuna. From the day that they met, she was always by his side, making sure that he was all right.

Even before they were brought together, however, Tsuna was already head over heels for another. Tsuna admitted, he constantly wondered who his first love would have been if he had actually met Haru before Kyoko.

The moment their eyes met that dreadful night, he knew he cared for her.

Something in his heart wanted to reach out and protect her. She was in so much pain, so much anguish. It was simply in his nature to take her in. He knew what it felt like to feel orphaned, even if he wasn't. He knew the trauma of finding a loved one dead, lifeless in front of him. He had experienced the consequences of being involved in the mafia.

She was completely broken at first. Haru had opened up to Kyoko far earlier than she had even said a word to Tsuna. When he went to visit her, she would hide under the covers, refusing to converse with him. She was meek, scared. He had learned things about her through Kyoko; how she had Japanese blood in her, how her parents had been in debt, how her father refused to change his habits.

He was sure that she hated him.

It was members of his famiglia who committed the murder of her family, even if they had acted completely on their own accord.

After more than month of her reluctance to speak to him, Tsuna was ready to give up.

But this time was also the one when Yamamoto Takeshi had arrived in town. From what his new tutor had explained to him, Yamamoto had high potential to be his guardian. Yamamoto was a natural assassin, skilled with the sword, with a heart of gold.

On strict orders from Reborn and Nona, he was forced to greet his new guest and give a tour of the area. It was intended for Yamamoto's move to be permanent. Tsuna wasn't too keen on the idea, after all, he had a hard time letting people he didn't know at all into his life. But he complied with orders.

It was a relatively warm and humid spring day, and Tsuna was waiting on the front patio, sitting on the stairs before the house, leaning over with his elbows on his knees. To say the least, he wasn't in the most chipper mood. Haru was refusing to even look at him, Kyoko was spending all of her time with her, and his long time companion, Gokudera, was away in the countryside with his older sister attending their father's third wedding. He was extremely bored, with really nothing to do but continue his training. Hopefully, this new boy would at least be interesting.

He watched as a black car pulled up in front of the gates. Tsuna groaned as he rose to his feet to welcome the stranger. The vehicle door opened, and a figure stepped out. Tsuna didn't really know what he was expecting, he hadn't really been anticipating his arrival, but the person who had come out of the car was a surprise.

It was a boy, according to Reborn, who was the same age as him. He was strangely tall, much taller than Tsuna himself, muscular yet slim in build. As he got out of the car, he had a dull and serious expression, but as soon as he saw Tsuna, it changed into a friendly smile.

What Tsuna found the most interesting about this new person, were his physical traits. The dark, raven colored hair, the pale skin, even his eyes. His new visitor shared a striking resemblance to the girl that Tsuna had recently brought home. Tsuna would've kicked himself if eyes weren't constantly glued onto him. Of course they looked alike. Yamamoto Takeshi was of noble descent, of _Japanese_ descent.

As the two of the became acquainted, Tsuna took a liking to Yamamoto, and the feeling was mutual. Yamamoto had a bright and cheerful disposition, something that Tsuna admired. He wished he could put on a smile for everyone. Yamamoto had heard great things of the Vongola Decimo before he had come to Italy, but meeting him in person was something different. From one look, Takeshi could tell that the boy before him would amount to great things.

The two boys bonded over newly hatched a plan, they would finally get Haru to talk to him.

Kyoko was sitting next to Haru on the bed, their shoulders lining side by side. They were eating a plate of fruit that Kyoko had taken from the kitchen, with pears, apples, and berries. Kyoko was telling Haru about the pastries that the chef baked every morning, promising that she would be back the next day with a tray of cakes for them to sample.

A knock came from the door. Kyoko slid off of the bed to answer it, and warily opened the door. Both girls were expecting it to be Tsuna, but instead, they found a stranger. Kyoko was about to ask who he was, or what he was doing there, but she was caught off guard. Yamamoto beamed a smile at her and gave her a half bow with his head. She stepped aside without thinking, letting Yamamoto walk in and stand next to Haru.

Both girls were in awe of their new guest. They exchanged looks with each other, totally confused, before returning their attention onto the boy.

"_Kon'nichiwa, o genkidesu ka_" Yamamoto smiled as greeted her with the same bow he had given Kyoko earlier.

Haru was raised in Italy, but her parents had made it a point to make sure that their daughter was fluent in her native tongue as well as Italian. She thought it was a waste of time, for she would never actually use the language with anyone besides her mother or father. She never expected that she would run into a fellow Japanese in her lifetime, or not in the time she was in Europe.

This boy gave her a sense of familiarity, and bizarrely gave her a soothing feeling, immediately making her more comfortable.

Haru had always been a shy girl, but she became all too excited as she heard the words come out of his mouth. She started chatting with the stranger, who she learned had just traveled from Japan. Questions started flying out of her mouth, happiness clearly written all over her face. She didn't even notice was happening on the other side of the room.

Kyoko remained in the same place, watching the pair, not understanding anything that was being said. She felt an arm from the door pull her out of the room. It was Tsuna, and he looked just as thrilled as the other two. He put his index finger to his mouth, signaling her to be quiet. He led her out into the hallway, and explained what he and Yamamoto were doing.

He told her about Yamamoto and his origins, and how he had come to the house earlier that day, how they had hit it off, and how they were going to get Haru to befriend Yamamoto and eventually Tsuna.

Yamamoto wouldn't say that he was easily entertained, but this lively girl sitting in front of him was starting to amuse him to no end, she was so engaging, animated, and lively. Her sentences were beginning to blur together, she was speaking so fast that he had a difficult time understanding her. She continued to press on with more and more questions. What part of Japan was he from? Was their homeland much different than Italy? What was the weather like? How was her Japanese, did she have an accent? He played along with her, answering everything she wanted to know. After a good ten minutes, she realized that she had never introduced herself, or even ask for his name.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, by the way," it was almost as if he had read her mind. It took her a second to process it, but she realized that he was speaking in Italian now.

"Haru Miura, nice to meet you" she found herself stumbling over every letter, she looked away, she could feel her cheeks burning up.

From the door window, two spectators oversaw what was unfolding in the room. Green wasn't really the best color on Tsuna. He wouldn't understand the way he felt until years after, but feelings of jealousy were almost oozing out of his body. Seven weeks had passed and Haru said nothing to him, yet here was this new person, who Haru had just met, acting as if they had known each other for years. Kyoko stifled a laugh as she watched Tsuna's reaction. He obviously wanted to get to know Haru, and Yamamoto had been able to do it with as little as a few minutes.

Yamamoto saw Tsuna's face from inside, and remembered the whole reason why he was in there with Haru.

"So Haru," he started, she looked up at him, "About Tsuna…"

He said things just as Tsuna had instructed him to. He asked her about whether or not she hated him, about why she continued to ignore him. He told her that Tsuna was really a nice person, and that she should give him a chance before writing him off completely.

She told him that she wasn't trying to make him feel bad, that she was hesitant to speak to him because she didn't know how to thank him for saving her. Yamamoto found everything to be pretty hilarious. Tsuna had merely misunderstood her actions.

"I'll be right back," Yamamoto swiftly exited through the door, taking Tsuna aside and telling him what information he had gathered.

And as awkward as it as the first few minutes were when the three teenagers reentered the room, they were all able to relax when Haru had greeted Tsuna. It was squeaked and rushed, but it was enough for Tsuna. He was absolutely ecstatic to find out that she wanted to be on pleasant terms as bad as he had.

Against the recommendation of Doctor Shamal, they snuck Haru out of her room. She was nearly completely healed with the exception of her leg where the bullet had pierced. Thinking they were sly, they all covered their heads in scarves, sneaking around corners, talking in hushed tones, wheeling their patient out in a wheelchair. They ran through all over the house, evading anyone who might stop them.

They were in hysterics when by the time they had gotten outside. Haru could barely breathe from laughing so hard as a nurse had chased them through the hallways, demanding that they bring her back at once. It was still bright out, and they had managed to get outside in the surrounding areas of the estate. They hid under the shadows under a tree.

It was like music to their ears. Kyoko and Tsuna, and even Yamamoto could tell that Haru hadn't laughed like that in ages. It was mixed in with the singing of the crickets, the sun which had been so torturously hot now softened and shown through the newly greened leaves of the tree. Haru watched as Tsuna tried to collect his breath, but failing as Yamamoto made another witty comment about the rules. She gazed at his eyes, unable to look away. They were sparkling, twinkling, so happy.

This was the first moment that Haru was aware that she had fallen for him, and hard. Time only made her heart grow fonder, as they spent more time together. Like when Gokudera had returned, almost insulted thinking that Yamamoto had come to threaten his position as Tsuna's right hand man. Or when they had stumbled upon Gokudera's older sister and Tsuna's tutor kissing one evening after dinner, which had been all too fun as they watched Gokudera squirm. Or like the night the gang had met up to play a prank on the Nona. He was the boy who gave her all of these memories, the one who had saved her, the one who gave her a new life, the one who had given her a new family.

Early on, she decided that she was going to stand by him no matter what. Even if he was in love with another, even if he was with the mafia, even if he was a killer, she would remain there, to support him.

**End Chapter 7**

A/N: This story is waayyy too gloomy, hopefully this chapter reminds readers that there were good times! It's just kind of a dark period for everyone...

Hahahhaa so I adore YamaHaru so I couldn't help but put a tiny bit of it in here, just for kicks.

Review Please!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello! I need to apologize to you guys, I admit that my recent chapters have been a bit sloppy, and a little below the standard of what a fanfiction should be. I'm genuinely sorry for that. But the reason for it was that I wasn't too motivated to write. I had the idea in my head, but I kind of just flung in onto paper. After reading the three reviews from the past two chapters, it made me really happy! And I decided to write another chapter tonight. It's late, so you probably won't read this until tomorrow...

Keep Reviewing Please! It really helps me to write! Hopefully this chapter is a little more up to par with the first few. For some reason I feel that it doesn't, nothing is nearly as emotional as chapters 1 or 3...If you feel that I'm slipping, let me know. I'm thinking of deleting the past few additions and rewriting them to make it up to you guys :( Anyways, Enjoy this bit!

(I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

**Chapter 8**

He breathlessly scanned the room, the sirens still ringing in his head. The moment that he had arrived at the lobby, he was cornered by the countless people. He was pelted by questions and pleads that he had no knowledge or information to answer.

"Sir, are you all right?

"What has happened?"

"Who is the responsible party? What do they want?"

He couldn't make out even half of what everyone was throwing at him. Everyone had been yelling, the noise they made in conjunction to the incessantly loud alarm was starting to make him dizzy, his vision blurred and he swore everything was in doubles.

"Decimo, please, we need to get you some place secure,"

"Nona is waiting for you, come this way,"

Hands had started to push him in directions, and the wave of people he was stuck in was preventing him from leaving them. He had come to the lobby in hopes of locating his comrades, but it was pointless to even try in chaos like this. People started to grab him, pulling him in whatever direction they could. He tried shrugging them off, but to no avail. He needed to do something; he needed to be sure that everyone was safe, he couldn't go and hide while everyone was in danger. He couldn't tell whose voice belonged to whom, the noise was overwhelming.

Then, through all of the pandemonium, the people around him started to back off, taking steps away from him. A sense of relief spread over him, as his personal space had been returned to him. The noise gradually turned to hushed but still nervous whispers.

He lifted his head to see what had caused the crowd to cease suffocating him. He almost jumped for joy as he found that all of his guardians had arrived; they had all remembered to report there in times of urgency. But something was wrong, incomplete, _missing_. They looked too cautious, too alert. He wanted to relax but he couldn't, their faces weren't letting him. He scanned the room, everyone was present. Hana and Chrome had arrived by now, their faces flustered and clearly afraid, but at the very least they were still there and unharmed.

He couldn't find an explanation, but something had built up in his body, the pressure collecting in his chest, constricting his lungs, making it impossible for him to take the breath he so wanted to let out.

Without him realizing, someone had made their way towards him, now lightly tugging on sleeve, clinging to him. Confused, Tsuna looked down at his side.

It was Hana, her eyes full of concern and worry. She didn't even have to say anything.

Tsuna's eyes went wide. _Crap_.

Realization had slapped him right in the face, and he could barely handle its effects. Whatever had been suffocating him chest before, had crushed him in an instant. The pain had been so sharp, the wind knocked out of him. Soon he couldn't feel anything at all, everything seemed to fade away. Whatever noise that had filled the room evaporated into the air. Time seemed to stop, his senses numbed. He desperately searched his mind, struggling to find the words he needed to say.

His eyes darted in every direction, moving from one side of the room to another; searching, hoping, begging that they would land on the one he was looking for. When he found nothing, he dropped his head again, meeting utterly distressed eyes. They vision had locked for what felt like forever, neither of them wanting to believe what they knew had inevitably occurred. The wheels had started turning in her head, and it was too late to shield her from the information that was being uncovered. He watched as water began to well up in her eyes, unblinking, her mouth starting to tremble. Unable to look at her any longer, he abruptly tore his arm and gaze away.

"Haru?" he made his way up and down the small space that the crowd had given him. He started pacing back and forth, refusing to think for a second that she wasn't there. Everyone had decreased their volume before when the Decimo's guardian's had gathered, but now the room was dead silent, biting their tongues as they listened to Tsuna call someone in no particular direction. The tension between them all had grown unbearably thick. He felt her hands clasping onto his arm again, and the second he looked down, he wished that he hadn't.

Scared of what she had to say, he broke her grip again, pushing her away. Since the incident with Kyoko, everyone was painfully aware of just how protective Tsuna was over his comrades, especially Haru. He was the only one who had specifically forbid the girls from leaving the estate by themselves; he never wanted to even risk the slightest possibility of their endangerment. He wasn't the only one who was left in shambles after the accident, Haru too, had suffered severe aftereffects of it all. Maybe more subtle than Tsuna, but Haru, no doubt, had carried scars from that day with her. Another experience might have resurfaced those wounds.

Of all the people there, it had to be Haru was missing. He tried to take a step forward, to call her name out again. But someone had stepped in front of him, preventing him from moving another inch. This time her eyes weren't pleading with him, her gaze was now filled with hate, and almost disgust.

"Wasn't she with you?" Hana spat at him. "Wasn't she?" she reached up and grabbed his collar, trying to pull him down to her height. He was forced to lean forward, as she brought him down to her eye level. It wasn't as if she had the brute strength to actually overpower him, more that he had been too weak to actually retaliate. "You came here with her right? She's in this room with us right?" her demands made Tsuna turn his head in the other direction to avoid her stare, completely unable to find the voice to answer her questions.

"She's here right?" Hana was back to begging him, asking him to tell her that her friend was safe. He refused to look at her again, the pang of guilt had already gutted him internally. "Why?" her voice was shaking, and when he said nothing, she lost it. She releases her grip on his shirt, balled her hands into tight fists, and violently started to pound them into his chest. Hana was holding nothing back, going all out as she started screaming, "Why isn't she here? Why? Why?"

He let her continue, doing nothing to stop her. He deserved it, even if no one else blamed him, he knew that he was responsible for any potential peril that his fiancé was in. Over a harmless comment, he had stormed away from her, leaving her vulnerable to anyone's advances.

Ryohei stepped forward through the crowd, wordlessly apologizing to his boss as he took an arm and hooked it around his girlfriend's ribcage, trying to pull her away. When she elbowed him to get him to let go, he tightened his grip, and with both arms around her waist, picked her up, and carried her away. She madly thrashed her arms and legs the entire time, trying to get herself out of his clutches. Her inaudible sobs started to die down, as Ryohei escorted her to a staircase leading into the underground base, giving Chrome the signal to follow in toe.

As Tsuna watched the rest of the crowd disappear out behind them, the noise reappeared. The sirens seemed louder than ever. Immediately, he wrapped his arms over his head, covering his ears, his eyes clamped shut, trying to recover from the sudden rush of emotions. A voice broke his attempts.

"Sawada, what do you want to do?" It was Hibari, the was the only one brave enough to even say utter a word. Tsuna forced himself to gather his thoughts, this wasn't the time for him to panic. He needed to be rational and logical if he wanted to find Haru and get her to a safer place.

"She's probably in the south end of the building," he paused, "or still outside in the gardens." She could've been locked out when the alarm sounded.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "All right boss, let's go," Gokudera tried to calm him. "We'll search the gardens," he paused to look at everyone else, "Yamamoto and Mukuro, you head out to the to the southern wing," they nod at him, "Hibari, Lambo, you two go to see if you can find the intruders," It was times like these that Gokudera Hayato proved to live up to his as the highly valued right hand man of the Vongola. Tsuna shot a look of gratitude before they all separated onto their own paths.

He prayed that Haru was safe, hopefully she had been sharp enough to hide in time. He refused to prepare, or even think of the worst case scenario. He would not tolerate another direct s hit against one of his loved ones.

-**p**-

It was dark. It was stuffy.

Haru had woken up in uncharted territory, vaguely remembering what had happened.

She had her wrists and ankles bound together, a blindfold tied over her eyes, with a something made of cloth pulled over her head. But even so, she could tell that she was sitting, her ankles tucked under her and her legs had fallen asleep. From what she gathered, she was on the floor, it was cold, hard, uneven ground. She shifted around, trying to get an understanding of her surroundings. She wiggled her fingers and toes, making sure that she could still feel every part of her body. Her breathing was starting to pick up, she kept gasping for air. She realized that as the situation stood, she would have no chance of running away. Possibilities of even standing up without the assistance of another would be unlikely.

How long had it been since she had been taken? Why was she kidnapped? Who had taken her? All of the questions kept surfacing, but she had no answer to any of them. They only answer she knew was that she had been knocked out, kidnapped, and brought to an unfamiliar place. She wracked her brain to remember just what have led up to this event. The last place she had been was outside, making her way back into the house, to find Tsuna.

Tsuna. His name rang like a bell in her ears.

He was probably searching for her, worried about her. Or would he still be angry at her? For the earlier occurrences that day, or for being taken so easily? She shook her head from side to side, trying to get rid of the thoughts. The only thing that she needed to concentrate was the present, she couldn't afford to concern herself with pointless worries of the past. What was important was that she was alive. She needed to find a way out; she couldn't just sit there, waiting for Tsuna to save her, or for her captors to kill her.

She tried shifting in place, but her attempts were answered by the aches all over her body. Everything was sore, her back, her arms, her neck, and especially her shoulder. Her frown deepened, she could forget about escaping, or standing up. She could barely move without flinching. But she remained steady in her battle against the overcoming fear that was beginning to take over. She needed to fend any feelings of fright; she needed to be smart about this, and focus her efforts in one place.

Amidst the thoughts that plagued her mind, the sound of a door creaking open. She immediately relaxed her neck, letting her head hang down, hoping that it would make her appear to be unconscious. She could make out two distinct voices, one male, and one female.

"How did we get stuck with a job like this? It's ridiculous!" the girl had exclaimed, sighing. "We should be out on the warfront," she muttered. Haru heard their footsteps getting closer, "Childhood friend or not, I don't deserve to be treated this way," she was clearly aggravated, her tone clearly upset.

"Calm down, Adelheid. You know he only assigned this mission to us because he trusts us, feel honored," the male sighed. To Haru, their conversation sounded like one between Hana and Ryohei, and if weren't for the current circumstances, she joined in and laughed at them. "So how are we going to do this? I'll pick her arms up and you'll get the legs?" He sounded less than enthusiastic. Their volume had increased such that Haru could tell they were standing right in front of her. It took nearly all of her willpower to keep herself from instinctively pulling away, as she felt something grab her forearm.

"Back off," something had slapped the arm that had touched Haru, "I'll do it. You just make sure no one gets in our way before we bring her to her room," the girl scoffed. As the girl had leant in to prop Haru up, Haru heard her say under her breath, "The way you get around girls, seriously…"

She could almost imagine the boy shrugging his shoulders in response, "Your call,"

The girl tried grabbing Haru to lift her off of the ground, but dropped her back down after only a couple inches. She was obviously struggling to carry her, and it was frustrating her like nothing else. After numerous more failed attempts, the girl let out an exasperated breath. Haru heard the boy chuckle lightly.

"Hey Koyo! Instead of just standing there, why don't you get over here and help me!"

Together, the two strangers raised Haru off the floor and onto the boy's back. He stood up carrying her behind him. Haru's limbs relaxed, as they were no longer burdened by the heaviness of her body.

"Are you okay?" the girl questioned gently, genuinely asking about how he felt.

The boy on the other hand, decided to mess with his companion, "I can barely feel her, she must weigh close to nothing," Haru could feel the annoyed look that she was shooting at the person in front of her, "Much easier to carry her than the last time I carried you—"

"Whatever! Enough, let's go. We're taking too long anyways." The boy laughed at her, more cheerfully this time.

They had been walking down the hallway for a few minutes, all while the two people had exchanged witty banter. When they stopped at what Haru assumed to be their destination, they opened another door, entered wherever, and dropped Haru onto a spacious, soft cushioned chair. As they walked in, the powerful scent of alcohol filled Haru's senses, which made her scrunch her nose in response.

"Let's go, we need to report back soon," the lower of the two voices stated.

"Hold on, I need to get rid of this stuff…" Haru felt the binds on her arms and legs being tugged off. "Why did you," the rope tied around her wrists loosened, "tie these so tight?" This process followed until Haru's ankles were liberated as well. "There, done," hands clapped together.

"Satisfied?"

"Oh shut up,"

They continued to argue as they exited the room, letting the door _click_ shut behind them as it closed. The moment she was sure that she was alone, Haru removed the bag from over her head, roughly pulling the blindfold down her face so it rested on the bridge of her nose. The sudden light made her eyes slightly water.

The room they had brought her to wasn't terribly bright; the curtains were closed, but she could tell that it was dark out. Whatever motive they had, her kidnappers obviously wanted her to be comfortable. The room was rather luxurious, in comparison to whatever place she had previously been held in. It was large, designed in what she found to be more traditional architecture; a high ceiling and a large paned windows lining one of the walls, with a large canopied bed sitting in the middle of it all. It was simple, yet gave the feeling of esteem. It appeared to be early morning, as subtle light from the outside had started to stream in through the curtains.

Ignoring the screams of reluctance from her body, Haru shot up out of the lounge chair she had been lying in. Seconds later, she was on her feet, searching the area for an exit. She ran to the window, pushing the bottom of it to see if she could open it; but no such luck. She made her way to the doors in the room; she found an empty closet and an open bathroom. Haru walked to the only remaining door, hoping that it would be open.

Like an answer to her prayers, the door was unlocked. Her heart would have started singing, as she turned the handle, swinging the door open, but instead, it skipped a beat.

Because what she stumbled upon outside of that door wasn't freedom or escape route. Instead, she found an eerily familiar pair of red eyes glaring her down.

**End Chapter 8**

A/N: Dunn Dunn Dunn Dunnnnnnnn... How will this red eye person (whom i'm sure most of you know who it is, if you've read my other fics) be involved in this story? I tried to lighten the mood with the back and forth from Adelheid and Koyo, I totally think they should be a couple, so loyal to their boss!Thanks for reading!

Reviews are much appreciated! (more like I beg for them...)

Sidenote: "Betrayal" is one week old! Yay!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ahh I'm sorry about this update. To be honest, I really wanted to come up with something that would be more worthy of the wait, but I ended up with this. This was a particularly difficult chapter. But nonetheless, enjoy! More details at the end note :)

**Chapter 9**

She couldn't explain it.

She had thought of this moment countless times for the past two years. She had waited for the time to come that she could redeem herself, finally do what she had regretted she had never done. She had planned out her every actions, from the steps she would take, to the words she would say, down to the very look she was going to give him.

But when the moment had arrived for her to take action, she could do nothing but stare back. She had always vowed to avenge her companion, though never actually believing she would have had the opportunity to do it.

Her eyes had been drawn to his the instant that the door swung open, his gaze was piercing through her. She recognized him immediately. Even though his face was almost completely covered during their first encounter, the image of his eyes had carved its way into the walls of her memory. She had only come across one person with such a unique pair of red, threatening, yet somehow sorrowful eyes. She began to retreat, her feet taking cautious steps backward. Her muscles went loose and her knees started to buckle. She instinctively tried to grab something to hide her instability, but ended up holding his forearm as he stepped forward to help.

There was no point in denying that she was completely terrified.

The fact that her captors were the same people that were responsible for the incident years earlier only meant that she was in greater danger. She knew that these kidnappers were not without malevolent intentions, but it turned out that the circumstances were far more menacing.

Was she going to die, here and now?

She thought that when the time had come for her to leave the living world, her life would flash before her eyes, reminding her of all of the good times that she had. But nothing really happened, her mind was so caught up in the situation she was in to even think of anything else.

Haru quickly released her hold on his arm, only to fall down on her back. The room was still dark, but his dark figure could still be seen from the light behind him.

She could tell he was tense. He wordlessly knelt down beside her, trying to help her back up to her feet.

She resisted his aid. She sat up immediately, and started to crawl backwards, her eyes on him the entire time. She felt her back hit the wall behind her, and there was no where else to run. She knew she couldn't go any further back, but she still kept pushing, hoping that there would be some kind of secret escape route she could get out from.

This was it, she was preparing herself for death.

Surely this person wouldn't make her suffer, maybe it would be quick. Her heartbeat started thumping at an incredibly rapid pace, it was almost painful.

She had given in to her faith, there was no point in struggling for something that would not be possible. She wouldn't be spared, she wouldn't be as lucky as Kyoko. This wasn't the Vongola compound anymore, this was a no man's land. No one could save her now.

But then something snapped. She didn't know what came over her, but she went into absolute hysterics.

She jumped up, propping herself up with an arm leaning on the wall behind her. She grabbed the nearest thing to her, and wildly started swinging.

One second she had been scared, submissive and helpless to her own fate. But now, she was angry.

The information had time to sit, and now she realized that she didn't have the privilege to be afraid. This man had killed, or tried to kill her best friend. He might have murdered her on the spot if he had the chance before, he was probably in front of her now to tie up loose strings.

She stretched her arm out, with her eyes closed, blindly shoving whatever was in her hands at the stranger. It all happened so quickly. He had caught her wrist, with a strong grasp, and forced the object to the floor.

She opened an eye, only to see shattered glass on the floor below her.

She didn't falter this time.

"What do you want?" she spoke in an uncharacteristically loud voice. She wouldn't be intimidated by such an evil being. She felt her forehead blazing, the rest of her body starting to drip with sweat. Her back had found its way back to the familiar flat mass behind her, and though she was determined not to retreat, her body cowered in anticipation.

Her assailant was standing so close to her that she didn't dare move. Her head was raised so that she could face him, but in turn, caused him to glower over her. He was much taller than her.

Seeing up in such proximity made her aware that he would overpower her with little effort. His broad shoulders leaned into her, his head lowered so his face was millimeters away from hers.

In the face of her outburst, he had remained calm, his breath was steady.

His crimson eyes were hypnotic, they seemed to mesmerize her with a single glance.

"_Revenge,"_ a sinister smile spread over his features.

She was trembling. Kyoko had asked him the same thing two years ago, and his response was identical.

"You're going to kill me," it was a whisper. She didn't know why she said it aloud, she meant it to be a statement in her head.

He chuckled darkly, he lifted his head away slowly. He thought it was laughable, and she felt offended.

"Do it," she spat.

He didn't find her last comment so hilarious. His lips tugged into a scowl.

She examined his visage. She found it rarely attractive, it wasn't the time to be admiring his appearance, but she couldn't help it. No matter how dire the situation was, she couldn't ignore his obvious comeliness.

"You can't be serious," his voice was deep, a familiar baritone voice that she wasn't sure exactly where she recognized it from.

"Then you're _not_ going to kill me?" she asked point blank. There was no beating behind the bush this time around.

He was nearly a head taller than her, his chin almost resting on the top of forehead. Her sights were now buried in his chest, his at the wall behind her.

"It's a possibility,"

Her neck snapped upward, forcing him to back away a little so that they could look at each other.

He seemed to shrug a little, "That's something that really depends on the situation,"

She stared on in disbelief. Her judgment was telling her to count her blessings, and hope that luck was on her side. But instead, against her conscious, she blurted out, "What possibilities?"

His eyes were filled with amusement. She was sure that he wasn't enraged anymore, he was too laid back for that to be true.

He leaned down, and pushed her further back with his own body. The sudden contact made her jump, but he was strong enough to prevent her from moving. She felt his hand tug at her chin, so she was looking up at him.

He had aligned his face with hers, she swore they were almost touching. She didn't even let out a breath, for fear that their heads would touch. She was going to repeat her question when he caught her off guard.

With a smooth dip, his lips pressed against hers. He pushed her further into the wall.

She was so shocked by his movement that she didn't have time to react. By the time she had registered what was going on, she was hit by another wave of surprise, when he deepened the kiss.

Then abruptly, he pulled away, but his lips remained close to hers. He whispered, in a husky, muffled tone, "Curiosity killed the cat," his warm breath tickled the bangs framing her face.

Her eyes darted to the floor, she couldn't look up at him. The back of her hand flew to cover her assaulted mouth.

She saw him stuff his hands into his pant pockets. His body language was nonchalant, completely laid back, he didn't seem at all concerned with his recent actions.

Her gaze stayed glued to her feet even as he walked away.

"Consider that a gift of gratitude," he was laughing again, "For sparing my life that time,"

She felt like she had just been punched in the stomach, all air had escaped her lungs, the wind had been knocked out of her.

He knew. He remembered. He understood that she had let him go. He recognized her.

A new set of questions started brewing another storm in her head.

Was that why she was brought there? Because she had allowed him to live on? Both of them knew very well that she could have pulled the trigger, there was nothing besides her own moral prohibitions that stopped her from shooting him.

She gathered enough courage to raise her head again, only to see him standing in the doorway that he had only just entered through.

"Get ready for the ride of your life," she saw his canine like teeth gleam in the light, he already stepped out, and started shutting the door, "Cause I'm about to raise some hell,"

The room was dark again, she was alone.

Her knees gave out, and collapsed in a mess on the ground.

Just what had she gotten herself into?

She had no idea what this person's motives were. He obviously was grateful for the life that she had allowed him to carry on with. He was scheming—playing with her mind, her emotions.

Her hands balled up into fists in front of her, her knuckles were turning white with pressure.

This person didn't know who he was screwing with. If he thought she would take all of his torture lying down, he had another thing coming.

She wasn't going to let him get away this time.

She would make sure that she would reunite with Tsuna, he would be looking for her now; he would be coming for her soon. And until then, she needed to stick it out.

She was sure.

This time, he wasn't going to get away. If it were in her hands again, she wouldn't let him get away so easily. He would pay, and she would redeem herself.

**End Chapter 9**

A/N: So guys, what do you think? I know that Enma is a whole lot OOC here, but in all honesty, I meant to put him like that. He is practically blinded by his rage of revenge that he fails to really let his true self come out, and instead becomes a total jerk. You'll see more plot and relationship progression later on. I'm sorry about the late update, I was actually planning on releasing this chapter a while ago, but then my computer got a stupid virus (beware of Java!) and I lost a lot of files. So this is very very rushed, and my apologies for not getting it up earlier! Thanks for reading, REVIEWS PLEASE!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here it is, Part 10! FINALLY, I am able to post. I was having quite a few of technical difficulties uploading for the past week, but here it is. Enjoy reading!

**Chapter 10**

Tsuna had completely broken down.

He used to be infamous for his cool disposition and calm personality, but the past few years had tarnished his reputation.

He became a man dictated by his wrath. And at this moment he was furious.

It was ten hours after the security breach, and the incompetence of the supposedly renowned talent of the Vongola was testing his patience. He was growing infinitely impatient, all of the staff had been running around after the invasion, trying to find its origins and the identities of who were responsible. All they needed was a name, possibly a motive, and he would be on his way.

Who had dared to cross him, were they mad? The Vongola was the undisputed authority in this territory, and it wasn't a secret that those who defied their word would be severely punished.

But then again, this wasn't some arbitrary attack. It was clear from the beginning that this was a remarkably ingenious plan on the part of the enemy. Whoever it was, intended on kidnapping his fiancé, and only his fiancé.

There were no other casualties that resulted from the trouble that was caused. Everyone else was accounted for, few people were injured, and if they were it was because of the panic that had ensued after. No one even came in contact with the assailants. These people were obviously efficient, and indubitably powerful.

The similarities between this attack and the one that had resulted in Kyoko's coma were so close to each other that it scared him. Why was it that whoever he fell in love with, ended up in the face of such danger?

It was early morning now, and Tsuna hadn't caught a wink of sleep. He sat in his own respective office, sitting in the recliner located behind his desk. He was alone, he didn't want anyone to see him in such a distressed state. Both of his elbows were on the surface of the table, his head caught in his hands, his fingers in his hair.

He had been waiting for hours on word of Haru's status. He was sure that she hadn't just wandered off the estate by herself; their quarrel hadn't escalated to the point where she would run off without thinking. The only conclusion that was left was that she had been taken hostage. The only thing he could be thankful for was that they hadn't executed her.

If these enemies were strongly bent on eliminating Haru, they would have taken her life the second that they found her alone. They wouldn't wait and spend the effort to sneak her out of his territory if they truly wanted to kill her.

He was growing more frustrated by the minute.

The Vongola was the best of the best. It possessed the best fighters, the most prominent of thinkers, strategists, and doctors. Anyone in comparison to their prestige, even the most deadly of famiglias were considered simple thugs. How difficult could it be to track down a group of brutes?

But even though his mind was being thrown with feelings of frustration, anger, and impatience, the one thing that he couldn't get off of his mind was guilt.

Even if he didn't mean for everything to turn into the mess it had, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was responsible.

He was plagued with countless 'what ifs'. What if he had been more gentle, and they wouldn't have fought? What if he hadn't been so hard on her? What if he had only stayed with her, or at least accompanied her inside? Would she be safe now, sleeping soundly in her room?

His eyes closed slowly as he started remembering the moment he had last been with her. He had lied to her, about seeing Kyoko in the medical ward. He didn't have romantic feelings for his ex anymore, but the fact that he couldn't forget her remained unchanged. His words had cut her deep, she was crying. The image of her watering eyes and tear stained face made him feel even worse. She was genuinely hurt by his actions, and he refused to apologize or soothe the wounds that he had inflicted.

His hands now formed tight fists at the sides of his head, he was looking blankly into the patterns of the wood of his desk. His knuckles made painful contact with the desk below, he didn't move.

The sound his hand made when he punched wasn't the loud pounding one that he had anticipated. He had put so much strength in his punch that he could feel the vibrations in his own body and the furniture.

He held his clenched hand up, his palm facing the opposite direction. His attention had focused on the ring on his left hand. His engagement ring held a resemblance to the one he had given to Haru only months ago. His was far simpler, it was a just a platinum and white gold band.

Their relationship had always been a complicated one, and when it turned from pure friendship to intimate romance, it had only gotten even more intricate.

But whatever hardships were thrown their way, they always came out victorious.

Tsuna understood that he would never have a normal date with a girlfriend, or even a normal moment. Mafia life itself, not to mention when that he was head of one of the most feared factors, detailed that attachment to anything was forbidden. He knew that showing he cared only showcased his weaknesses, and that those who plotted against him would use that to his advantage.

Every second that he spent with Haru, he was always watchful. From the day that he picked her up after her parent's murder, he protected her with all of his strength. The one time that he left her alone to fend for herself, she was taken away.

He made her promises that he wasn't able to keep when he proposed. He vowed to protect her, love her, but in turn her had only hurt her and placed her in the spotlight to attract danger.

He couldn't bear to imagine the torture she was going through now. He might not have known who had taken her, why they had taken her, or where they had taken her to, he knew that the circumstances would have been terrifying for her.

Haru wasn't a fighter. She wasn't like Hana, or Chrome, or even Kyoko who had prior firearm training. She was almost a sitting duck, she couldn't do anything in her situation.

He feared not only for her safety, but her mental well being. Kyoko's death had scarred him deeply, but he knew it was nothing compared to the wounds that Haru collected. She was the only one who had witnessed what had happened. Going through something twice risked throwing her mind into utter chaos.

At that moment, the door swung open.

In the doorway, a handful of familiar faces appeared, their expressions did nothing to ease his anxiety. His former tutor led the pack of visitors, he was followed by his loyal guardians. Reborn's face foreshadowed that grave news that he had to report.

Taken back by their sudden intrusion, Tsuna stood up, leaning in, his palms flat on the table.

"Tsuna, are you familiar with the Shimon?"

**-p-**

Enma didn't think of himself as the same sadistic and dark person that many others found him to be. He knew who he was, yet somehow, he let himself be taken over by something as plain as 'duty'.

It was a funny thing, his duty. He grew up oblivious to it, happy and carefree, a young boy who played with his friends and parents. He was the only child, son of a wealthy family.

Ignorance was bliss.

In one day, his life was turned upside down. It was a warm summer evening, when his family was massacred. He found the bodies of his mother in the hallway before dinner, and when he ran downstairs to call for help, he discovered that the maids lying in heaps on the floor. When he sprinted out of the house to the front, he stumbled upon the corpse of his father on the patio

He was sent to an orphanage. No one gave him an explanation, no one offered him comfort, no one even gave him the time of day. He was driven to the edge of insanity, he was never the same. When he was sixteen, he finally received the justice that he had been waiting for six years.

He was united with a group of his peers at the orphanage, they possessed a similar duty to his, and swore their loyalty to him.

They were brought together by a man who had kept his identity completely under wraps, to this day, none of them knew his name. He threw information that none of them were expecting.

Enma's father, as well as the parents of the other orphans, were involved in a gangster type organization. They were the Shimon, extremely powerful, and skilled in their trade. They were a collective and small group of people, and it was relatively easy to keep everything a secret. But soon they had all fallen victims in the hands of the cruel Vongola; all because they posed a threat to their power.

Enma was naturally talented, almost immediately after hearing about his past, he assumed position as boss of the Shimon. He befriended the others, and quickly bonded with them. They trusted him, and he trusted them.

A year after they joined together, they were able to fulfill their obligations to their deceased loved ones. Enma wanted to hurt the Vongola where they had hurt them, he wanted them to feel the same pain as he had felt.

He began investigating the life of the Vongola Decimo. He soon became obsessed with all things related to Sawada Tsunayoshi, slowly plotting and thinking of how to make him suffer. It was easy to find their target, and make their move. The Decimo's relationship with Sasagawa Kyoko was not a secret, once they found their window, they struck.

Enma, a self involved man, partook to the attack personally. He carried his own orders out with his own hands.

The entire house of the Vongola was in complete disorder, there was no one on high alert. He and Koyo effortlessly snuck past the security and into a room. They had arrived in on a cheerful scene, he recognized the sole man in the room to be the brother of their target. A twisted part of him was excited to see his reaction to his sister's demise.

They waited until the Sun Guardian exited the room, it would have been too risky to move when someone so powerful could have stopped them. Him and Koyo had thought it to be a quick and efficient job, but they would have spoken too soon. After they shot the first girl, they thought that they would easily escape and finish, but her friend had other plans.

The image of the gun pointed at his head had burned into his head. The mental picture of her shaking hands and her hunched shoulders was a truly pitiful sight. He would have been content if she had pulled the trigger, at least her had taken out Sasagawa, whatever happened to him after that didn't matter.

But she spared his life.

Something about her decision to let him live on never left his thoughts. After that day, Enma's obsession with the Vongola had shifted from the Boss to Miura Haru. And when he learned of her engagement to the Decimo, the news sent him off the wall.

It gave him the excuse to take her hostage. He had been waiting for the perfect reason to jump. On the outside it looked as if he was getting further revenge for the Shimon, but in reality, his decision to kidnap Haru was for his own personal pleasure. If she wasn't romantically involved with Tsuna didn't weigh heavily, it was only a matter of time before he would steal her away.

The entire idea of her thrilled his every fiber of his body. She was enchanting, compelling, in the most devious of ways. On top of that, he found her strikingly attractive, something about sleeping with the enemy made his blood rush.

It was going to be fun, the most fun he ever had in his life.

He was going to make the Vongola squirm. He was going to break them down, just as they had done to his family. But even more than that, he finally had his hands on the most precious of people in the mafia world. She would prove to be an entertaining person to toy with.

He couldn't wait.

**End Chapter 10**

A/N: So, a little look into what's going on in Tsuna and Enma's head right now. It seems like a little boring for those of you who like plot, but I feel like its a necessary part of the story to get out of the way before we carry on. I read in one of the reviews that someone didn't know it was Enma before the A/N, and ahh I'm sorry. I'll try to be more clear about it the next time around. So like always, please review, I really appreciate it. They honestly do help me when I'm writing, technique and motivation-wise. Thanks for reading, REVIEWS PLEASE.


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